The Dark Side of Amestris
by silvers-edge
Summary: Roy always knew there were things that only the Führer could know. And on the night of his Coronation, he learns how true this fact is, along with the reason that Edward has never been declared a missing person, despite being missing for over three year.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all, another new story. Welcome back to the people who have read my previous stories and for those new to my stuff, I hope you like it. I do not own FMA, and I do not make any money off of it. This is unbeta'ed, so if something is wrong, I apologize in advance.

Some important notes before I begin. This 'text' is thought for now. Italics indicate dreams/ a dream. Hughes is alive, Al has his body back, and Edward is "missing." Also, this first chapter has some angst, enough to where I think it needs a warning. This is a repost of the chapter after it has been beta'ed. A big thanks to my new beta HappiestUnderClouds.

Anywho, on with the story.

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'Three years. It's been three years since Edward vanished, and tomorrow after my installment as Führer, I am officially moving his case to the investigations department as a missing person's case. If anyone can find him, Hughes can.'

Roy's eyes darkened with guilt, the guilt of not looking for his young blond subordinate and he rested his forehead upon his palm. 'Why didn't the old Führer look for him, or even admit that he was missing? This doesn't make any sense! Tomorrow…..tomorrow I'll be one day closer to finding Edward.' Roy sighed and pushed his chair back. Flicking the lights off and casting the room into darkness, he headed up to the bed that beckoned to him softly for a night he knew was going to be haunted by nightmares.

_The field was covered in blood, _his_ blood. Roy wasn't quite sure how he knew the blood was Edward's, but, somehow, he did. All was silent, the fighting having been completed hours ago, the amount of dead showing who the victor was. Edward was lying motionless in a puddle thick and soupy with mud, torn clothes soaked with his own blood. The blade was still extended from the automail, which was twisted at an unnatural angle, and was turning a rusty red color, as enemy blood began to dry on it. "I'm so sorry Edward" Roy choked out, barely suppressing a sob as he knelt next to his deceased friend, face in his hands. "Why didn't you look for me sooner?"A quiet voice accused._

_Roy's head snapped up and he stared incredulously into dull golden eyes that lacked their normal spark of emotion, eyes which he knew belonged to his blond subordinate. "If you would have found me sooner, I wouldn't be dead" Edward stated as if he were talking about the weather as he moved into a sitting position. Roy fell backwards in shock, mentally reeling. "It's not my fault; I wasn't allowed to launch an investigation!" The dark-haired man cried, his voice wavering dangerously. "Since when has anything stopped you from doing something you wanted?" Edward tilted his head to the side, blinking his gold eyes slowly. "You gave us clues to the Philosophers' Stone even when that information was top secret. What stopped you this time?" _

_Roy shook his head, denying the words spilling out from those lips, tears still streaming down his face. "Edward… please, how can I make this right? I can't lose you!" Edward laughed bitterly before answering. "You know, I shouldn't have died so young. I still had years left; I could have lived a long, glorious life. If anyone should have died today, it should have been you, Roy. You've squandered your life, followed rules blindly to horrible ends. For all of your past crimes against humanity, _you_ should have been the one to die today." _

_Roy cringed at the words that dripped like venom from the blonde's mouth. "I can't deny that; it should have been me. I've failed you, my team, and my country too many times. Please Edward," Roy sobbed as he bowed his head, "Please…how can I make this right?" Edward slowly moved until he was in front of Roy. "You truly want to make this right?" The blond asked quietly, but dangerously, the words that came out sounded similar to that of a hiss. "You dare to presume that your insignificant self can make right of my death? There is no way to truly make it right, but there _is_ a way to make it even."_

"_What is it? I'll do anything to correct this, to try to repair all of my mistakes." Edward lifted his flesh hand and brought it forward and gently caressed Roy's cheek as his head moved to Roy's ear to whisper into it. "It's simple, Roy. To balance the scales, you merely have to die." The hand trailed down to Roy's neck and pushed while tightening it into a vice-like grip. Roy landed heavily on his back in the mud with Edward over him, his only flesh hand cutting off his airway. "Yes, this will make it right," Roy whispered as the hand tightened, and black and blue dots began to dance across his vision. "To die by the hand of someone I betrayed, someone I failed." Roy felt himself lose consciousness, blackness finally overtaking his vision._

Roy shot up in bed, covered in sweat, and gasping for breath. "Just another nightmare, another damn nightmare." He comforted himself. He drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them to lay his head down. After catching his breath, he walked over to his window and threw open the curtains. Moonlight spilled over his frame and onto the floor, elongating shadows and accenting his pale features. "I'll find you Edward, I swear I will," He promised to the empty room. He gazed up at the moon, hoping that somehow the moonlight would deliver his vow to Edward.

Sorry about the angst here. Hopefully I didn't depress anyone too much with this. I depressed myself writing it. I think this is the darkest I've written yet.

Please read and review and tell me what you think. Reviews help me write faster.

~Silver~


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, this chapter took me forever to write... It just did not want to be written. Sorry to all of you that have been waiting patiently for this. This is now beta'ed by HappiestUnderClouds, and I do not own FMA nor do I make a profit off of it.

Now to answer my two reviews for this so far.

playthedamncard: I hope this chapter keeps you interested. I have an idea what I want to do with the story and if I write it how I see it in my mind it would be very interesting.

GreedxEd:I hope this chapter is as interesting as the last. I hope this keeps you hooked as well.

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"Hawkeye, is everything ready for the move?" Roy asked, leaning against the office door. The blond lieutenant straightened, setting the newly taped box on the desk heavily. "All done Sir, everything will be moved to your new office and set up before your installment this afternoon. Also Sir, you have to stay in your new office tonight, and your new paperwork will begin tomorrow." "Hawkeye," he sighed and pushed himself off the door to stand in front of her, "All I want to do right now is to find Edward. I'll do that paperwork tonight, but I am not staying the night in my office; there is absolutely no reason to."

"Roy, it's the law that no paperwork be filed until the day after the installment, along with it being law that the new Führer must stay the first night in his office." Riza explained, sounding slightly exasperated. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but she held up a hand to cut him off before he could start.

"Don't ask me why these laws exist, but they do, and even you must follow the law." She told him, her tone leaving no room for argument. He closed his mouth and nodded. "Fine then, I'll stay and wait to move Ed's case to the investigations department. Now if you excuse me, I need to get down to the courtyard for my installation." Riza shook her head as Roy strode confidently out of his office.

"-I will follow the letter and spirit of the Laws of Amestris, and protect her citizens with all of my power." The crowd cheered as Roy's induction as Führer came to a close and he was surrounded by his celebrating crew. "Sir, I hate to interrupt your celebration, but you need to get your overnight bag from your home and be back here before six." Roy turned and looked at his lieutenant with a sigh. "I know, I'm leaving now; just make sure that there are pillows and a blanket in my office. I'll sleep on the couch. Now if you will excuse me, I have some things I need to do."

After Roy left, Havoc turned curiously to Riza. "Why has he been so cold lately? He hasn't had a date in a long time and every time he's around I feel like I need to wear a sweater." Riza sighed at Havoc's question. "It's hard to explain. Let's go inside, no one else should hear this." Riza, Havoc, and the rest of Mustang's team returned to his office and settled down on his couch.

"What I have to tell you all goes no further. I don't know when you all started noticing the changes in Roy's personality, but I can tell you it started around the time Ed disappeared, and it's only gotten worse. He also has trouble sleeping at night. I don't know why, but he does. Hopefully he'll find Ed and everything will go back to normal." "Will do," Havoc replied, "this is safe with us". After a sharp look from Riza, the rest of Mustang's team agreed immediately. Everyone left for the day, thoughts surrounding the missing blond alchemist.

Meanwhile…

Roy entered his house, hung his jacket on the coat rack and headed to the kitchen to make himself some dinner. The phone rang but he ignored it. "Everything can wait. I just want to get through tonight and find Edward. Is that too much to ask?" Roy muttered to himself. A voice that Roy had never heard before was heard on the voicemail. "Führer Mustang, you don't know me, but I have information that you need to know. Please listen to me when I say that your life is in danger. Do not go to the office tonight. Something will be there to kill you. Please listen, and tell no one of this warning." The call ended with a click and Roy laughed at the strange message.

"What a nut, like anyone can get past Hawkeye to my office before I get there. I'll track him down tomorrow and personally admit him to the mental hospital." The new Führer decided to himself. He ate his dinner quickly, grabbed his overnight bag, and then headed back to his new office for the night.

"Riza, has anyone entered my office recently?" "No sir, it was empty when I took in the pillows and blanket. No one has entered since." Riza answered formally, stepping aside so he could walk in."Very well. Get a hold of Hughes and tell him to meet me in my office first thing in the morning. Someone decided it would be funny to prank call me. Also, call Alphonse. I need to meet with him and find out anything that might help with the search for Edward. You're dismissed; have a good night." Roy walked in his office and shut the door, Riza's worried glance at the door going unnoticed.

"Alright, nothing to do besides stay here for the night, might as well head to bed early. Hopefully I can avoid nightmares tonight. …Why am I talking to myself? Just what I need, nightmares, prank phone calls, now I might be losing it, what else can go wrong? I really need to get to sleep before I start answering myself."

Roy spread the blankets on the couch, and fluffed the pillow before he lay down to sleep.

Roy found himself standing in the center of the parade grounds. "Why am I here?" Roy scratched his head in confusion. "Must be my day to check the parade grounds for overgrown weeds. Don't know why it has to be checked, nothing can grow through concrete. Oh well, guess it has to be done."

"Mustang, glad you could make it. After all, it's not good to be late to your own execution." Roy turned around to see Edward behind him, transmuted blade glinting in the weak sunlight. "Ed!" Roy ran over to embrace the man, but stopped short when the blade moved to strike him. "You have no right to hug me, no right at all. You don't even have the right to look at me. You were the one person besides Al that I could always count on, and you let me down. You left me for dead, and because of you, I died. Now it's your turn!" He lunged at Roy, the blade sweeping at neck height. Roy dodged sideways, rolling to leap back up to his feet.

"Ed, can't we talk about this? How are you here if you said you died?"

Edward turned to look at Roy. "That's not important, what is important is your death. Stand still and die!" Edward charged again with his automail blade poised to strike. Back and forth across the parade ground the attacking and evading continued, like a strange dance, until Roy was pinned to a wall, Edward behind Roy with his blade under the taller man's throat. "Time for you to die" Roy heard Ed hiss as cold steel pressed against his neck and a trickle of something thick and warm ran down this throat.

Roy awoke with a jolt, groaning a moment later as he got his bearings. "Crap, I'm not even at home and I can't escape these nightmares. Hopefully after tomorrow they will leave me alone." Roy sat up on the couch with his head in his hands, ridding himself of the memory of the nightmare.

"Nightmares, Führer? Anything I can do to help?" Roy froze in place, not even drawing in breath; simply exhaling slowly as if breathing in would blow away the sound of the voice. 'That voice, I know that voice… how is it possible? I-It's not!' Roy's head slowly turned until he was looking at his chair, or more specifically, the being in his chair.

"Edward, is that really you? You're alive!" Roy scrambled off the couch and fell in front of the chair, hugging Edward as hard as he could without killing the blond. "Three years without a word and you're still alive." Edward hugged back tentatively, and then pushed Roy off of him gently. "Stop acting that way and start acting like the Führer you are. My being 'alive' is not necessarily true." Roy stood up and sat on his desk, a puzzled look gracing his face. "Ok, back to being Führer then. Tell me what you mean by that statement, Fullmetal. And that's an order."

Edward crossed his legs and placed his head on his left hand. "I guess I deserved that asking you to act in your station. What I mean can be easily figured out. There are two definitions for life that can be applied to this situation, the medical definition and the scientific definition." He stated, lifting 2 fingers on his left hand. "The medical definition requires brain activity and a heartbeat. The scientific definition requires the organism in question to have a metabolism. I do possess a metabolism of a sort, so I am alive scientifically, but I do not have a heartbeat as such, so I am not alive medically, therefore I am dead by the common human definition." Edward relayed to the new Fuhrer calmly, watching carefully for his reaction.

"I'll call you Edward then. And what do you mean you are dead by the common human definition? You're here talking to me, so you're alive by the human definition." Edward moved the chair closer to the desk, picked up Roy's right hand and placed it on his neck. "I have no pulse Roy; I'm technically dead." Ed released Roy's hand, and it fell back to its original place. "Anyways, enough about that, it's time to start talking about matters of the state."

"Matters of the state aren't important right now. How are you technically dead but still able to sit here and talk with me?" Roy inquired, eager to learn about whatever topic Edward had been skirting around. Edward sighed and leaned forward on the chair. "Honestly Roy, for being such a smart man who can see through complex political plots and conspiracies, you can be slow sometimes. I'm a vampire." Edward opened his lips wide enough to show his extended fangs. His fangs slowly retreated back to regular size as he closed his mouth, movements slow so as not to scare the human. Roy's eyes widened as his right hand darted up instinctually to cover his neck.

"H…How? I mean, how is this possible?"

Edward sighed. "Don't worry about protecting your neck, Roy, I won't bite you. You want to know how this happened, correct?" Roy nodded his head as he lowered his hand, fighting the instinct to back up, even a little. "Yes, how?"

Ed responded matter-of-factly with two words.

"The Gate."

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Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, I'll try to get it up in a week. Would anyone be interested in being my beta? Just a thought.

Anyway, Please read and review. They help me write faster.

~Silver~


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this has taken me so long to update. My grandma has been sick. Hopefully I can write another few chapters this weekend. I hope you like this one. Anyway, FMA does not belong to me, and happy late FMA Day! Reciently Beta'd by HappiestUnderClouds.

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"The Gate? How can The Gate be responsible for turning you into a Vampire?" Roy questioned, quirking an eyebrow confusedly.

Ed sighed as he leaned back into Roy's chair. "Honestly, I don't know how The Gate did it. The last thing I remember is activating the array to bring Alphonse back, and then paying for the return of his body with my own. Apparently Al tried to bring me back, but I didn't return as a human; I returned as the supernatural being that you see before you." Edward spared a glance at the clock. "It's getting late Roy; we can talk about this personal stuff later. We have important state information to discuss and I have my nightly rounds to make before the sun rises."

Roy got up off his desk and dragged one of the other chairs in the room close to the desk before sitting in it. "Ok then, what do you need to tell me about this new world and apparently our roles in it?"

"Ok, first things first. I am the leader of the supernatural side of Amestris, also called the 'Dark Side of Amestris'. It's called the Dark Side because we prefer the night to day. Vampires can come out in the light, but it is painful to our eyes. I will slowly be introducing you to the other side's citizens. Tomorrow I'll start teaching you about vampires. But for tonight's conversation, I'll tell you about my role in the present and past."

Edward pushed his borrowed chair back, stood up and dragged it away from the desk so he and Roy were sitting knee to knee. "The leaders of the two sides of Amestris have always regulated each other. They keep an eye on each other's decisions, and help out when needed. They also act as a watchdog for the other. If one of the leaders starts to make bad decisions, the other has the right to step in and warn them that these decisions will harm the country. If these warnings go unheeded, and Amestris has the potential to be thrown into an unnecessary war or chaos, the other leader has the right to kill the one who is straying from their role. I know this seems confusing, but it's not."

"I think I understand. That's what happened to the previous Führer, isn't it? I knew he was making horrible decisions and I could tell that the way things were going we would have been involved in another war. I was wondering what killed him; I knew it couldn't have been a heart attack." Roy spoke his realization aloud as everything clicked for him; it all made sense now.

Edward laughed. "I knew you were smart man, and you will prove to be a great leader. You're right. I had to stop an unneeded war that would've killed many citizens, both human and supernatural. And he did die of a heart attack, it just happened to be brought on by blood loss." Edward's smirk at the insinuation revealed his fangs, but Roy was unfazed. He knew that Edward wouldn't hurt him, even though instincts shouted at him to run. But they were easily ignored.

"So, Edward, can I still call you Fullmetal, or do you have a specific title you go by now?" Edward shook his head in response, a smile gracing his lips. "Edward is fine. You can call me Fullmetal if you really want to, but I still prefer Edward. And before you ask, Riza doesn't know about this. She was just following the laws put in place by the previous Führer, at my insistence."

Edward stood up and outstretched his left hand for a handshake. "I will come by your place tomorrow to continue your education on the supernatural side of your country. Look for me tomorrow night between eleven and twelve. Oh, and this conversation stays between us. No one else is to know, no one else can be trusted not to freak out and kill us all." Edward spoke the last bit with amusement in his voice and a smiling mouth, but his eyes were serious. They said, 'If you tell, it'll be the end of us both.'

Roy took Edward's hand in his own and squeezed slightly. "I will tell no one and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night. Good luck on your rounds." Edward opened the windows and jumped out, vanishing into the night.

Roy walked over to the window, his eyes searching the night for a hint of the vampire.

"Good night….Edward."

Meanwhile, in an abandoned building across town….

A circle of shadowed figures surrounded a table; the only light in the room was a candle on the table. "So the freak has met with the new Führer, hm? Do we have a plan in place to bring them both down?" One of the dark figures nodded in response. "Yes Sire. The plan is laid out and is ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. They will kill each other and you will be the leader of the supernatural and human citizens." The first figure nodded, satisfied with the report.

"Good. Edward and Roy will meet the fates they should have met long ago. H, keep an eye on Mustang, keep me informed of his decisions, and mess them up any way you see fit. I will do the same for Edward. You are all dismissed."

The shadowed figures slunk out of the building one by one, each scattering to homes for the night, all except one. The person crept stealthily in the shadows; footsteps putting him on the path to keep watch on Führer Mustang's house.

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Anyone know who H might be? Or what this plan is? Please read and review. I like reviews. Even if it's just to say good job or keep writhing, please review.

~Silver~


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all for staying with me even though I have been a slow updater. I will continue to update this as quickly as I can. Once again, I do not own FMA. I might have to change the catogory for this story, I don't see a way to make it very romantice like my other stories, but I will continue to think of a way to hopefully include some romantic situations in here somewhere. Reciently Beta'd by HappiestUnderClouds. they are pure Awesomeness!

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"Lysander, I need to you run the second half of my patrol again tomorrow night; Splendora, you will run it the night after." Edward ordered after striding into the room and hanging up his leather jacket.

"Of course, My Lord, can I assume that this switch in schedule is due to the election of the new Führer?" The two watched as Edward walked across the room and shut the curtain. "That is correct, Lysander. Splendora, any news from the werewolves and vampires in the East?" He turned away from the now covered window and sat in his office chair.

"Everything is still going well, My Lord. There was a new vampire that got loose, but they managed to contain him before anycasualties could occur. He will be locked away until his learning period is complete and he proves himself able to be around mortals." Splendora finished satisfactorily, ticking each point off of her pale fingers.

Edward nodded slowly, mentally running over the now solved situation. "Good. Lysander, what of the telepaths, psychics, and shape shifters in the West?"

"Everything is going well, no incidents to report. Is there anything else I can do for you, My Lord?" Edward shook his head. "Nothing right now, just continue with your duties. Have a good days rest, you two. I will see you both come nightfall." Edward stood up and walked to the unnoticed door in the wall and entered the pitch black room.

"You are such a suck up, Lysander. We are already his favorites; we cannot rise to a higher position than his advisors." Splendora stated, rolling her eyes in the direction of her colleague amusedly.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Splendora." Lysander hissed as he walked to his own door and slammed it behind him. "Well, isn't he the touchy one this morning." She closed her own door behind her as a small beam of light penetrated the curtains.

-An hour later, the office of Führer Mustang-

"Good morning everyone, hope you all had a wonderful night's sleep! Where's my paperwork for the day?" Roy greeted everyone cheerfully as he entered walked out of his office and into the reception area. "Sir, are you feeling alright today? You didn't leave the window open all night, did you?" Riza asked from her desk.

"I'm feeling great, Riza. The old Führer was right to insist on his replacement staying the night in the office. I now have a whole new outlook on things; now for that paperwork. By the way, I'm paying for a round of drinks tonight as a celebration for finally making it here." She handed him his daily stack of paperwork bemusedly and he vanished into his office, grinning like an idiot the whole way.

Havoc exchanged a glance with Riza, cigarette hanging limply out of his mouth. "What's he been sniffing this morning? Is he drunk or high on something? I don't think I have ever seen him that excited to get paperwork."

Riza shook her head, unsure of the Führer's behavior. "Guess he realized his new position is important and the paperwork needs to be completed on time in order to keep the country running efficiently." Everyone shrugged and turned back to their paperwork, thoughts preoccupied with Mustang's strange behavior.

"Guys, I just had a thought" Havoc declared, breaking the silence. "Oh, so that's what that smell was!" Breda interrupted teasingly. "Har, har har, very funny. Like I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted, the last time Mustang was this happy was before Edward left. So do you think he knows something about where Ed might be?" Havoc relayed excitedly, blue eyes sparkling.

Falman looked up from his paperwork, his eyebrows rising until they were hidden by his hair. "You know, Havoc, you just might have a point there. He hasn't made any mention about moving Ed's case to the investigations department. It has to be something to do with Ed. We can confront him later after we get a few drinks in him." "Guys, Mustang has been drinking for years, a few drinks will not loosen his tongue. Just let him be and he'll tell us eventually. Now get back to your paperwork" Riza snapped.

Roy stepped away from his office door, chuckling silently as he sat down at his desk to start his paperwork. 'If only they knew how right they are, but I'm not about to tell them that. I need to find a good excuse to explain why I'm so happy, otherwise they will never leave me alone. I'll think of something before I meet with Ed tonight for my lessons about his world.'

"Roy, we're ready for those free drinks! Are you done with your paperwork?" Havoc shouted some time later as he burst into Roy's office. "Yes I'm done, let's get going. I want to make sure I'm home at a decent hour tonight; I have to get up early tomorrow. Oh, and Hughes is meeting us there."

Havoc's eyes widened in shock as Roy grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. "The infamous womanizer is turning down a chance to pick up a one night stand when he's finally back in his good mood? Great, more for me and the rest of the guys around here!"

Riza shook her head in amusement as Roy and Havoc continued to bicker about Roy's past dating habits. Finally they reached the bar and sat down at one of the tables to begin their celebration. The bell attached to the door chimed and Hughes made his way to the table and joined the group. "So Roy, why didn't I see Edward's file on my desk today? It's all you have been talking about for months now."

"Straight to the point as always, Maes. I know the rest of you want to know this too, so listen up; I will only say this once. While in my office last night I started to reflect on the past and I remembered that Ed was never one to ask for help. He's always been able to take care of himself, and he always hated it when we helped him because to him it seemed like we didn't trust him enough to deal with his problems by himself. I came to the conclusion that Ed would not want us to worry about him. He will show up when he feels like showing up. After all, not even human transmutation can keep that Elric down."

Maes contemplated Roy's monologue, watching his friend skeptically. "There's something off with your logic, but I just can't pinpoint it right now. That is also one of the weakest excuses I have ever heard from you. Anyway, have you seen the new pictures of my darling daughter Elysia?" The whole crew groaned as Maes pulled out his stash of pictures from a random pocket and began stuffing them in people's faces.

Roy looked out the window of the bar as the sun started to set, turning the clouds beautiful shades of purple and pink. The soft orange light outlined the city buildings, turning them into insignificant piles of concrete and metal compared to the natural beauty that was slowly sinking through the sky. "Hey guys, sorry to ruin all of your fun, but I need to get going. Early day at work tomorrow and all, you know?" For the second time that day, his crew's jaws hit the floor.

Havoc was the first to break out of the shock to call to Roy as he left the bar. "Ok, have a good night Roy! …Alright, there is something serious going on here; he's never gone home this early to actually sleep before. I'm going to follow him and see what's up." Havoc slipped out after Roy, staying far enough away that detection should be avoidable.

-Elsewhere in the city-

"Edward, come quick! The young vampire broke out and as far as we've been able to tell he's after Führer Mustang!" Edward bolted from his seat to grab his jacket. "Shit! This is bad. Lysander, come with me. Splendora, will you take over the first part of my patrol? And can you send a message to the werewolf and vampire liaison and get them to move our meeting to tomorrow night?"

The two advisors made a fist with their right hands, putting it over their hearts, and bowed. "Yes, my Lord, it shall be done." All three vampires left the office simultaneously; Edward and Lysander heading West towards the Führer's residence, while Splendora headed East to carry out her duties.

A few minutes after they left, a shadow figure entered the office and headed straight for Edward's desk.

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I really hope you all are enjoying this story and stick with it. I have some interesting things planned for the two.

Please review, I like reviews and they inspire me to write faster, and get my ideas on paper(well, a word document lol.)

~Silver~


	5. Chapter 5

Hey all, Happy to see me back again? This is the fastest update yet I believe. Once again, beta'd by HappiestUnderClouds, and the cookie reference is for them. Hope you all enjoy.: D

Just an offnote, I will be combining all of random vampire knowledge that I have seen/heard/read to hopefully make an awsome story in the long run. Happy Reading!

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Roy unlocked his front door and stepped inside. He snapped his fingers to light a roaring fire in the fireplace before checking his answering machine. "One new message. 'Führer Mustang, you're fortunate to still be alive after meeting that creature last night. Don't expect your luck to last though; those creatures are dangerously unpredictable. Stay safe and make sure to always carry Holy Water with you.' End of message."

Roy shook his head in exasperation. 'I forgot to tell Hughes to investigate this guy. He definitely needs time in a padded room with a straitjacket somewhere'. He made his way to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee and fix a quick dinner. After finishing his meal, Roy headed upstairs to change out of his uniform and into a more comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He trotted back down the stairs to the kitchen and a small white box sitting on the counter caught his attention. "Hmm, I wonder if Edward can still eat regular food? Oh well, I'll put some out just in case. If not, more for me!"

Roy grabbed the box and dumped the contents on a plate, flinching inwardly at the harsh sound of it hitting the plate, and then decided to sit in the living room to wait for Edward to come by. Halfway to the couch Roy felt himself being pushed sideways before hitting the floor with a loud 'thump.' He had landed on his side, and his arm protested as he rolled on his back and went to push himself up. He froze when a hiss erupted from a figure above him. He slowly looked up and was greeted with the sight of Edward crouching defensively in front of him. Almost everything about him seemed as it had that morning; the only noticeable difference from the back was the long sharp claws that extended from his fingertips.

"You will not touch him, so leave now!" Edward snarled, the aura of authority thick and demanding in his voice. The other vampire tried to get around Edward, but skittered back, hissing, as Edward took a swing at him. "Why should I? You are not my acknowledged leader. I've been promised great things if I can get rid of Amestris's Führer." The vampire sneered disdainfully in the direction of the two leaders, one of which was still lying on the floor, looking helpless.

"Now you see, I can't let you do that. But what I can do is leave you chained in a cell until I have time to deal with you." Edward lunged at the other vampire and tackled him to pin him down, a loud crash making itself known as the coffee table broke in two under their combined weight. Roy watched as the other vampire scrambled to get his feet under Edward and, after getting a firm hold, launched him with a kick into the bookshelf across the room. Books cascaded down from the bookshelf with a clatter, somehow just barely missing the blonde who now lay under it."You have a lot to learn still. Lesson number one: never go up against me, because you will not win." Edward stated as he picked himself up off the floor.

He jumped across the room and grabbed the other vampire by the collar, hauling him up off the ground, his legs dangling in the air. "If I'm not mistaken, and I never really am, you're Sebastian, the vampire who the old Master made to follow in his footsteps. Taking out the Führer will not make you worthy of my position." Edward told the vampire in his grip coolly, his facial expression almost uncaring.

Edward hissed in pain as Sebastian's claws raked across his face, causing him to throw Sebastian harshly into the wall, breaking a lamp in the process. Blood trickled down Edward's face before the wounds had begun to heal themselves. Sebastian dashed forward to attack Edward again, this time throwing him into the grandfather clock.

Roy winced empathetically as he watched Edward slide limply to the floor, glass falling around him. That has got to hurt. Oh crap, where's Sebastian? He spun around to see the other vampire feet away from him, a blood-thirsty look in his eyes. "Now that he's out of the way, I can finish what I came here to do." The vampire grinned ferally, and Roy tried to move away from the vampire, but found he couldn't. Coal black eyes locked with green eyes that were laced with red. "You can't run from your death, Führer." Roy shuddered as he felt a claw run from his cheek to his neck, almost like a caress, every instinct yelling and screaming for him to get away.

Before Roy could blink, Edward was behind Sebastian with a sharp knife hovering over his chest. Roy was able to rip his gaze away from Sebastian's, only to get entrapped by Edward's narrowed ones instead. His piercing gold eyes were also laced with red, but Roy did not feel afraid. A sense of calm filled him at the presence of his long time friend. "Give up, Sebastian, or suffer pain." Sebastian spat venomously in Roy's direction and Edward plunged the knife in Sebastian's chest. He fell to the floor, a look of surprise frozen on his face.

"Thanks Edward, but did you really have to kill him?" Roy asked as he wiped the spit off his cheek.

"I didn't kill him; he's just paralyzed for now. I'll take the knife out when Lysander gets back from checking the perimeter." Edward looked around, noticing the damage done to the living room. He raised his automail hand and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about the mess. I can help you fix it if you want." Roy chuckled and shook his head. "That's not necessary; you did save my life after all. Bathroom's up the stairs and to the right if you want to clean yourself up really quick."

Ed shook his head and reached up and quickly pulled up his hair into its customary ponytail and sat down on the couch. "It's only dust, and a little bit of blood. Besides, these leather pants clean up easily; that's one of the reasons I always wear them. But I will have to change my shirt when I get back; blood is hard to get out of silk." Roy raked his gaze up and down Edward's body, admiring what he saw. "You look much better in that silk shirt than you did in those jackets you used to wear."

Roy reached down to start picking the snacks off the floor, missing the look of surprise that crossed Edward's face from the compliment. Roy held up the snack in front of him, examining it closely before frowning dejectedly. "Great, can't eat these now; what a waste of a great snack."

Edward looked to see what Roy had in his hands, and then threw his head back in a hearty, mirthful laugh. "Really, Roy? Cookies? I thought I was the one that was supposed to be offering cookies for you to join the Dark Side?" Roy chuckled in response. "Sorry, couldn't help myself, it was too good of an opportunity to miss." He placed the newly filled plate on the end table and sat next to Edward on the couch.

"I guess I need to teach you how to defend yourself against vampires now; I was hoping I wouldn't have to do that for a while yet." Edward sighed wearily. "Ok, before we get into that, what do you think you know about vampires?"

Before Roy could answer, a figure walked in the door, pushing a quivering Havoc in front of him. "My lord, what should I do with this eavesdropper?"

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Dun Dun Dunnnnnn. What will become of Havoc? Please stay tuned for the next chapter of The Dark Side of Amestris!... Sorry for that, had to do it. Please read and review and let me know what you all think.

~Silver~


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six is up! Not sure exactly how long this will be... guess I should probably write out what I want to happen chapter by chapter to get a length and to make sure I don't forget something. Once again, much thanks to HappiestUnderClouds for beta'ing. Anyway, Same disclaimers apply, don't own and such. Anyway, happy reading. :D

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Havoc's eyes were wide in shock, immediately fixing themselves on Roy after having to quickly scan the room for a familiar face. His jaw bobbed for a minute before a tense, short whispered plea emerged. "Roy….. Help me!" Roy sighed and turned toward Edward. "Obviously he's under your command, you can deal with this." Edward stood and walked toward the pair, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Lysander, I'll deal with him; I need you to take this trash to headquarters and place him in the dungeon." He ordered while flicking his hand toward the prone figure on the floor. "But Sire, you can't possibly…"

"Do you dare question the direct orders of your leader?" Edward raised himself to his full height, his eyes, which had almost returned to normal, had gained back the red streaks, more intense than before. Roy and Lysander both winced at the barely controlled anger in his tone.

"No, my Lord, never! I would never assume to question your orders. I'll just take this young one back and secure him until you can deal with him." Lysander groveled quickly, trying to cover up his mistake. "Good, you're dismissed." Lysander flung the paralyzed vampire over his shoulder and left the house before he incurred Edward's wrath again.

The sound of the door shutting snapped Havoc out of his paralysis and he fell to the floor in a heap. "I thought he was going to kill me." Havoc whispered, fear still evident in his quivering voice. Roy walked over to the man and helped him up before sitting him down in front of the fireplace. "Ok, do your thing, just please don't kill him. He was your friend, once upon a time." Roy requested as he settled down onto a couch opposite them.

"As far as I'm concerned he still is my friend." Edward replied easily, shrugging slightly.

Edward made his way over to Havoc, kneeling in front of him, locking eyes in the process. "E-Edward? I was right, Mustang did find you." Edward sighed while the amount of red in his eyes increased again. "Yes, but you won't remember. This is all a dream, Havoc. Tomorrow you will wake up and believe all this to be a dream."

Havoc turned his head slightly to the side, confused blue eyes still locked with Edward's red-laced gold ones. "Chief, what's he talking about? And his eyes are weird." Edward frowned and his eyes changed from red streaked gold to pure red, a slight frown appearing on his face. "Hmm, this won't work. He seems to have a natural mental barrier. Damn. Oh well, can't be helped." The red color in the blond's eyes drained away, and gold returned to the iris. He broke eye contact with Havoc and slumped to the ground in exhaustion.

"Alright Havoc, seems I have no choice," Edward started as he raised his gaze back up and stared into the fire. "Here's the quick and dirty on the situation that you have unwillingly stumbled into. I'm a vampire and the leader of the supernatural side of Amestris. The fellow who brought you in here was Lysander, one of my advisors."

His gaze shifted back to Havoc's, a warning clear in the scrutinizing look. "You can tell no one about me or the other supernatural citizens. If word got out about us, we might all be killed, including Roy for keeping it a secret." Havoc's jaw hit the ground about halfway through the explanation. "You're a what? I always knew that more odd stuff was going to happen to you, but this is beyond expectation. I think I need some time to process this." Roy placed his hand on his subordinate's shoulder. "Go lie down in my spare room; I'll be up to talk to you after Edward leaves." Havoc nodded and headed up the stairs, nearly stumbling on his way up.

Roy kneeled down in front of Edward, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Ed, are you alright?" Ed raised his head to look Roy in the eyes. "Yeah. It really shouldn't bother me that he needs to process this, but it does. But let's start the lessons; I don't have much time left tonight." He shook his head in an attempt to get his thoughts in order.

"Ok, Lesson one: vampires need blood at least twice a week, maybe more depending on how much they use their powers. I knew I should have fed last night." He added in a mumble, a finger coming up to tap his lips in thought.

Edward stood up with Roy's help and staggered over to the couch and proceeded to fall onto it. "Our eyes change to red when we start using our powers, which can also be called vamping out. The more red that is present in our eyes, the more our powers are being used. Pure red eyes can also signify bloodlust, but there are other signs for that. Bloodlust is very dangerous; we can lose control due to hunger and attack any potential source of blood that we can find. It is hard to describe a vampire who has succumbed to bloodlust, but it is easy to recognize."

Edward sat forward and rested his wrists over his knees, neck bent and head turned to the side so he could look Roy in the eye in an attempt to express the seriousness the topic. "I sincerely hope that you never see a vampire in the middle of bloodlust, but if you do, stake them, and then get a hold of me; that is your best chance of survival." Roy nodded and stood up, walking across the room while Edwards gaze followed him.

"I have a few questions for you, Ed. I have a received a few messages over the past few days warning me to stay away from you. The last one told me to carry Holy Water with me to protect myself. How true is this?" Roy pressed the play button on his answering machine, letting Edward hear both warning messages.

Edward sighed. "I recognize his voice. Just ignore him. He ran into a young vampire a few years ago and survived; now he thinks he knows all about us. He's harmless, but to answer your question, Holy Water and other religious icons do not harm us. It is mainly an act to help mortals feel safer at night and such."

Roy nodded in understanding, slightly disappointed that the only ways he knew how to defend himself were useless. "I need a drink, can I get you anything?"

"Unless you have some blood in there handy, thanks, but no thanks, I don't feel like dealing with actual food right now." Roy poured himself a drink of Scotch from the bar then set down next to Edward again. "Another question, you keep referring to young vampires, well, aren't you yourself a young vampire? You seem to have exceptional control for being only three years old in vampire years."

Edward's mouth twisted into a smirk, but it was not a happy one. "Again, I blame the Gate. It has made me a freak in this world. I have never acted like the normal vampire. I seemed to have retained more of my humanity than the others have. The gate made me for this position; it seems to know that you would become Führer, and that I would be the best compliment to your leadership. A lot of older vampires resent me for rising to this position so young, but they can't do anything because I am more powerful than they are."

Roy nodded in understanding. "You always were older than you appeared, I don't see why that should change just because you're a vampire now. How about what you said with Havoc, what is that mental barrier you mentioned?"

"The mental barrier is a defense that some people have to defend their minds against attacks on their minds. In this case, it prevents me from messing with his memories. No one can overshadow him; basically no one can make him do something he doesn't want to do. You should be glad he has this protection in the long run. Do you have any other questions that you need an answer to tonight?"

Roy looked away and started fiddling with one of the threads on the arm of the couch nervously. "I have one more question. It's nothing important and has nothing to do with vampires or anything else supernatural, but I hope you answer it the way I want you to."

"Alright, what is it Roy? I'll answer, but I can't guarantee you'll like it." Roy turned to face Ed, closed his eyes and gathered his courage. When the first syllable left his mouth, his eyes opened, shining with hope. "This is totally unlike me, but I haven't seen you for three years and I've missed you. Can I possibly have a hug?" Edward closed his eyes in thought.

"I don't think that's the smartest thing to do right now Roy." Edward opened his eyes locked gazes with Roy again. "Any other time I would say yes, but I need to feed." Roy moved closer to Ed, laying his hands on the vampire's knees. "I trust you Ed, you won't hurt me." Roy smirked when he heard Edward sigh in defeat. "Alright, but just a quick one, then I really should go, I have other responsibilities I need to see to tonight also." Edward leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Roy, feeling arms wrap around his own body.

Roy's slightly smoky scent invaded Edward's nose, causing him to inhale deeply. He found himself craving more of his scent. Roy was equally enthralled with how Edward smelled of honey and lavender, though slightly confused to why Edward should smell of these two fragrances. Edward ran his nose up Roy's neck in an attempt to inhale more of his intoxicating scent. He felt Roy's arms tighten around him and his heart beat increase, causing blood to pound through the veins in his neck. The smell plus the sound called out to Edward in a way that caused his fangs to emerge. Ed threw himself backwards against the couch, panting slightly with the effort to control himself, eyes turning red once again.

"Edward, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He reached out in an attempt to apologize, but Edward raised his hand to stop him. "Don't touch me, I'll make it up to you tomorrow, but I can't handle it right now. I'll teach you how to defend yourself tomorrow along with teaching you about werewolves and shape shifters. See you tomorrow." Edward had just made it to the door when he heard Roy call out to him again. "Edward, if you need blood that badly right now, just take some of mine. I know you won't hurt me." Ed could only shake his head.

"No Roy, there's a chance that I could lose control and I can't afford that with you. I'm sorry, I'll see you tomorrow." After that Edward was gone, leaving Roy with a deep feeling of guilt at having drove Edward away. "I hope I didn't just damage our relationship, and when did he hit five foot seven? Aw crap, I still have to deal with Havoc." He picked himself up, locked the front door and knocked on the bedroom door that separated him from Havoc. After Jean let him in, they both sat on the bed, ready to work everything out.

Meanwhile, in the slums of the City

"You could not even do one thing correctly, could you? All you had to do was to kill the Führer; I was going to take care of the rest!" The shadow figure hissed at the cowering wreck before him. "My apologies Sire, I won't fail you next time." The shadow figure backhanded the whimpering being. "You won't get a next time! I will not tolerate failure." He grabbed the young vampire and bent his neck to the side before sinking his fangs into his neck. Once his victim was completely limp, he snapped his neck, and threw him down. He proceeded to pull out a match, light it and toss it on the unmoving body. "There, all evidence of my failure eliminated." The shadow figure cackled to himself and walked away. Dark thoughts floated through his head as he started to chuckle menacingly. "You will die Führer, both you and Edward will die by each other's hands, then I will rule both sides of Amestris."

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Hope you all enjoyed this, I had fun writing it. Please review and tell me what you all think :D

~Silver~


	7. Chapter 7

Hey all, Heres chapter seven of the story. Once again, thanks to HappiestUnderClouds for being my beta, and I do not own FMA. The only thing I own are my original characters here. Please read and review. Plesent reading.

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Edward walked into his office and fell into his leather chair with a sigh; both of his advisors looked upon him nervously. "My Lord, how did everything go tonight?" Splendora asked while straightening piles of paperwork on her desk. "As fine as can be expected with the attempted assassination of the Führer; on the bright side, we can have Jacob Riley taken off the wanted list. He won't be bothering anyone ever again" Edward said with a slight smile on his face and a hint of a fang showing.

"I'll make note of it for our contacts in the military. Also, the vampires and werewolves refused to change their meeting. They both agree that as the leader of the supernatuals, you should be able to save the Führer and have time to meet with them in the same night, along with all your other responsibilities. You have half an hour to reach the safe grounds."

Edward glared at the sable-haired woman and groaned as his left hand came to rest on his forehead. "Well that's just great, now I have to deal with both of those groups thinking they could do a better job than me, along with a potential border conflict between the two. You would think that after two years of this they would learn." Ed set back up in the chair, resting both of his elbows on his desk and tented his hands while frowning. This would have reminded anyone of Mustang's crew of Mustang himself. "Do tell me that you have good news for me tonight?"

The sable-haired woman exchanged a glance with her black-haired counterpart before looking at Edward again. Ed lowered his hands and started tapping his flesh fingers on the desk. "I'm not in the mood for this beating around the bush nonsense, Lysander, what is Splendora not telling me?" Ed questioned, irritation obvious in his voice.

Lysander fidgeted in his seat, unable to look Edward in the eye. "After I brought back the vampire, before I threw him in the dungeons, I took out the knife so as to get some answers out of him. Well, as soon as I started trying to question him, he ran and locked himself in the bathroom, grabbed a book of matches and set himself on fire. By the time I got through the door, he was already a pile of ash. I'm sorry My Lord; I accept any punishment that you see fit." Lysander groveled; flinching back as he finally looked at Edward.

Edward was seething in rage; eyes reverting quickly back to the pure red color that had inhabited them hours ago. "Let me get this straight," Edward hissed as he reached out and grabbed his underling by the collar, voice low and laced with fury as pure as his eye color. "You let the only link to whoever is after the Führer's blood kill himself? I have dismissed your past failures, but I cannot dismiss this." Edward slowly released Lysander's collar and closed his eyes, the attempt to calm himself down visible to both advisors in the room. "I will deal with you after this hell of a meeting." He opened his eyes again to reveal they were back to their normal hypnotic gold. "Splendora, take care of the office and any business that might arise while I'm out, and keep an eye on Lysander, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

With that said, Edward walked out of the room and proceeded to the aforementioned safe grounds, leaving a glaring Lysander in his wake. Splendora sighed and looked at Lysander from behind her desk. "How is it that you keep pissing the boss off? It's almost like you do it on purpose."

Lysander turned to face her while continuing to glare, red slowly creeping into his eyes. "I can't stand being his underling, it's always 'yes my lord', 'no my lord', 'whatever you say my lord', and I'm sick of it! I should be the one in charge, not that young little whelp. I'm centuries older than him and have that much more experience. I, not him, should be the ruler of the dark side!"

Splendora stood up, walked around the desk and slapped Lysander across the face, ignoring the shocked face of the vampire. "How dare you? Edward has nearly eliminated all inter-fighting among the supernaturals, he has nearly made the mortal world think that we could be the good guys in stories and not the villains, and to top it all off, he has saved both of our lives countless of times. We owe our lives to him and more, so stop complaining and do your job." Lysander watched with a slack jaw and Splendora sat back down in her seat and returned to her paperwork. "You're right Splendora; I apologize for bad mouthing Edward. It won't happen again." He returned to his own seat and started his own paperwork for the night.

-.-.-.-.-

Hours later, just as dawn was approaching, Edward walked stiffly into his office before leaning against the wall. "You seem tired my Lord, why don't you have a seat?" Splendora asked while handing him a cup of steaming liquid. "Thanks Splendora, but I dare not sit. If I do I won't be able to get back up. Vampires and werewolves can be the most stubborn creatures imaginable. It took them hours to come to a civil agreement, non withstanding the growling and hissing that ensued anytime a hint of insult was present." "Can I do anything for you, My Lord?" Lysander asked meekly from his chair. Edward turned his gaze on the disgraced vampire and frowned. "No, Lysander, and you still have a punishment coming your way. Come here."

Lysander walked over to where Edward had motioned and felt Edward's hands on either side of his head. He looked up into red eyes and sighed, he knew what was coming. It felt like something in his head started to turn and stopped in the wrong position. "There, you are blocked from creating mind shields for a month. It will automatically reverse itself so I won't have to do this again." Lysander walked back to his seat as Edward sighed. "You both know how I hate to do that, but I had no choice." Edward looked out the window and saw the brilliant blue overpowering the black sky as the sun started to breach the horizon. "Now if you both will excuse me, it has been a long night. Good days rest to both of you." He slipped into his room for the day while the other two made for their own.

Inside his room, Lysander was fuming. "He took my gift! How dare he? I should be the leader, not him," he growled to himself as he laid down in bed, thoughts obsessed with the loss of his gift.

-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile across town in Mustang's office

"Sir, we have a pressing matter that needs your attention now." Hawkeye said slightly out of breath as she entered the room. Mustang sighed. "What is it now? I just finished dealing with the Drachma dignitary and I sincerely need a drink." Hawkeye, who was used to death and torture in the military, shocked Roy as she proceeded to turn a sickly shade of green.

"A crime scene sir, and a bad one at that. It appears that wolves and other creatures that cannot be identified have attacked a small village thirty minutes to the east of here. It has been requested that you supervise the crime scene and get there immediately." "All right, I'll leave now. Take care of the office while I'm gone." He walked out of the door, wondering why wolves and other animals would be doing attacking a town that never had any problems with wolves before.

On the train ride to Grove Town, Roy had plenty of chances to wonder if these wolves and other creatures belonged to Edward's world. Roy groaned with a sudden realization how bad this could actually become. "Crap, I really hope these are normal wolves and other such animals, I don't want to have to bring Edward into this." He looked out the window as the train rolled into the station only to be greeted by the town center surrounded by yellow crime scene tape and blood splashed across store fronts. Roy walked down the station stairs and across the station yard to a waiting military officer. "What the hell happened here?" The officer whose name Roy could not recall saluted him and led him to the edge of the crime scene. "No clue, Sir. Just heard a bunch of weird noises and howling last night. We ignored it because wolves roam these woods all the time and never hurt a fly, but this morning on our way to breakfast we were intercepted by the mail boy who led us to this."

Roy slipped under the tape and walked up to one of the bodies, examining it from top to bottom. Roy suddenly understood why Riza turned green that morning. Slash marks ran bone deep across the first victim's chest. Blood covered the wound and saturated the ground around him. His head lying next to him, eyes wide and dilated. The second body was in much better shape than the first, the cause of death appeared to be exsanguination, complete blood loss, from what appeared to be a torn out throat. The rest of the other dozen bodies appeared to be in the same condition as these two.

Roy looked to the sky and realized what he had to do. He turned his gaze towards the sun, which was at its zenith. "I wish it were night so I could get Edward to look at this. Crap, I don't even know how to get a hold of him." "What was that Sir?" The military officer asked from behind him. Roy shook his head, "Nothing, just muttering to myself. I'll take charge of this crime scene, get all the evidence collected that you can, and get someone to take these bodies to the morgue. Do not mess up a single detail, not even to close their eyes." Roy walked over to lean against the porch of the local eatery, the only place that had shade.

A few hours later, the bodies and all the evidence had been collected and the bodies moved to the morgue. Roy was sitting at the desk in his room in the hotel filling out paperwork on the crime scene not even half a block away.

"You needed my help here Roy?"

Roy jumped out of his seat in shock, the unexpected voice in his room startling him out of his train of thought. "Don't you ever knock, damn it? I think you're trying to give me a heart attack too." Roy huffed with his hand over his chest. "Not this time, no. I heard your call and here I am. Let me guess, the blood in the center of town is why I'm here, correct?" After catching his breath, Roy walked to the door, grabbed his coat and motioned for Edward to follow him. "Follow me, you need to see this."

Walking across town had been strange. Roy watched Edward secure a black wide brim hat on his head along with making sure the collar of his long black jacket was covering his neck. After entering the hospital and heading to the morgue, Roy stood next to two gurneys' and pulled off the cover sheet.

Edward's gold eyes scanned the bodies before him, before frowning with a sigh.

"I'm sorry Roy, I take full responsibility for what happened here last night."

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Hope you all liked this chapter. Sorry for the cliffy, hope to get the next chapter out in at least a week. Please read and review, I like reviewes. :D


	8. Chapter 8

Here's chapter 8 for you all. Hope you all like it. I am having a lot of fun writting this.

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Roy's jaw dropped in shock while a look of utter confusion crossed his face. "What are you talking about? As leader of your side, you would not murder your citizens like this." Edward walked over to the gurney and sighed. "Roy, the one with the slash across his chest and his head decapitated is Kyran, head of the vampires in this area; the one with his throat torn out is Sylan, leader of this area's werewolf clan. Last night, the three of us met in the grove a few miles outside of town in order to solve the disputes between them. After a few hours of arguing, growling, and hissing, they finally reached an agreement and we all left and I went back home. Apparently they came back and decided to settle it themselves and, well, you see the results. I should have stayed until dawn to make sure they didn't do anything like this."

Edward sighed and stepped back around to stand in front of Roy. Looking him in the eye, Edward raised his left arm, pushed the sleeve of his jacket out of the way, while his eyes examined the skin from his elbow to fingertips. "I have never received a warning mark in my time as leader, and I regret that this situation resulted in me gaining the first one." Edward thrust his arm at Roy, palm up. "I know you have a knife in your boot, take it out and make a slash across my arm while saying 'Permissum Admonitio Vestigium Videor.'"1

While still keeping his eyes locked with Edward's, Roy slowly reached down and grabbed the handle of his knife from the back of his boot. "I don't think this needs a warning mark, but I will do as you say in this instant." Brining the knife up and resting it on Edward's forearm, he lowered his gaze to the knife, then quickly back up, his eyes full of repressed emotion. "Will this hurt you?"

"Yes it will, but that's the point. It will leave a permanent mark that can only be removed once I have redeemed myself or a year's time has passed. The pain and the mark will be an ever present reminder to me to be a better leader. Just get it over with Roy." Taking a deep breath, Roy pressed the knife down harder and drew it across Ed's arm while speaking the words Ed had told him to say. Edward's only response was to hiss in pain and clench his fist while attempting to remain still and control his actions.

Blood welled out of the wound running down the side of his arm only to splash to the floor. The blood remaining on the cut started twisting itself around then hardening, leaving a black mark in place of the cut. "Alright Edward, consider yourself warned. Let's get back to my room, I have a few things I want to ask you, but I don't want to do it in a morgue." On the way out, Roy snapped his fingers, burning away the blood that stuck to the floor.

-.-

Back in Roy's hotel room, Edward shed his hat and jacket before sitting on the bed across from Roy. "What do you need to know? Let me guess, why am I wearing a jacket and hat, along with how I knew you wanted me here? Well, it's actually very simple. I wasn't all that truthful when I said the sun hurts our eyes. While it does do that, it is also very uncomfortable on our skin. When our body goes through the change from human to vampire, we become a lot more sensitive to the sun's rays, and it's very uncomfortable to us. That's why the jacket and hat. It also keeps people from recognizing me." Roy nodded in understand and motioned for Ed to continue. "As for how I knew you wanted me here to look over the crime scene, the shadows told me." A perplexed look crossed Roy's face as he quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean the shadows told you?"

"I mean exactly what I said. The shadows told me. While there are general powers that every vampire has, along with certain powers that the leader gains, each individual vampire also gains powers that are unique to them. Mine just happens to be that shadows talk to me. That's how I knew you were here and needed me."

"Interesting, I shall keep that in mind. Do they tell you about every time someone mentions your name?" Edward shook his head for an answer. "They only tell me if someone requests my help, or what they judge important. It's hard to understand what the shadows deem important, so I mainly leave them alone until they talk to me."

Roy nodded. He could only imagine how hard talking to shadows would be. "It's the middle of the day; don't you need to sleep or something?" "Not sleep per say, but we usually slip into a meditative trance. We're still technically awake, but it helps us stay in control over the vampiric instincts. Do you mind if I take over your bed for a while?"

"Only if you don't mind me taking a nap along with you. I'm exhausted. The rest of the team can clean up the mess down there. Is there anything I need to do with the bodies?" As Edward lied down on the bed and shut his eyes, he sighed wearily. "Let me identify everyone who was killed, and then you can burn them. I only saw Kyran and Sylan." Roy nodded and laid down beside Edward, both falling 'asleep' almost immediately.

-.-

"Ok Roy, I have everything I need, you can burn them now. I have to be getting back. Is there anything else you need?" Edward asked as he shrugged on his jacket and hat. "No, I've got it from here. I'm going to burn the blood in the streets also, and then head back to headquarters. I have a general I need to deal with before he forgets his station. Will I still see you this evening? I still have to learn about those werewolves. Hopefully tonight won't be as exciting as it has been these past few days." "Ok, see you later and…" Edward walked over to Roy and hugged the man, causing a surprised look to cross his face, followed by a smile, "Stay safe alright." Edward whispered in his ear. "I will, don't worry. I feel a strange turn on the horizon also. Same goes for you also, you hear?" Edward nodded and inhaled Roy's smoky scent deeply, letting it calm him down before he released the man, and then vanished out the door. "Why can't I tell you the truth?" He sighed then headed back the crime scene to destroy the mess decorating the streets.

-.-

Splendora and Lysander both jumped when the door to the office slammed open, revealing a snarling Edward who stormed in and began pacing the office floor, eyes barely retaining their gold color. "Stupid vampires, stupid werewolves, think they know better than I do about the human world, bah." "What happened this time my lord, and what is that I smell?" Edward shoved his sleeve up to reveal the new warning mark.

"This is what you smell Lysander, and as for what happened, the two from the meeting last night decided they didn't like the agreement and had a fight in the middle of town, managing to kill each other in the process. It's just lucky for us that the werewolves change back to human when they die. I managed to hold off on my anger till now, but I'm going to isolate myself in my room until I don't feel like killing anyone myself. Of course I can't hide this from anyone, its purpose is to be known, and now everyone will know. Good…..whatever time it is to both of you." Edward stalked over to his door and slammed it shut.

"Well, damn. I don't think I've ever see him lose his temper like that before. Is there anything we can do about this Splendora?" She shook her head negatively. "No Lysander, all that we can do is file the appropriate paperwork about this and let him deal with it. I'll deal with the paperwork; you take the first patrol, since it would be dangerous for Edward to take it now." Lysander nodded before leaving the office and a worried Splendora. "I hope he calms down soon, I hate to see the kind of wreck he would make of his room. I hate the fact that vampiric rage is so ingrained in us all. It's dangerous for everyone."

-.-

"My servants, I have excellent news for us all," The shadow figure exalted before his followers, "The whelp has received his first warning mark. The first part of our plan is done; the vampires and werewolves of the East followed the plan perfectly. Now we need to start phase two. H, are you ready to play your part?" One of the cloaked figures kneeled before speaking. "Yes Sire, it is all ready. At the way things are going, it should play out in the next few days." The shadow figure laughed, "Excellent, what would you like as your reward when I become the grand leader?" H slowly lifted his head, blue human eyes shone in the darkness. "I want Riza Hawkeye."

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I hope you all like it, and please review. I like reviews I'll give a cookie to those who review.

1. Let the Warning Mark appear

~Silver~


	9. Chapter 9

Hey all, sorry this is out later then I promised I would. I'll get to work on the next chapter and hopefully it will be out soon. Once again, thanks to HappiestUnderClouds for beta'ing this. Stadard disclaimers apply.

I have a strong feeling I'll need to dodge flying objects becasue of this chapter ::turns on running music:: Ok, ready to dodge

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Mustang sighed as Havoc brought him more paperwork after he returned from lunch. "More paperwork? Honestly, do you all have a bet on how much paperwork I can finish in a day before I lose it and burn the whole place down?" Havoc chuckled and shook his head. "Something like that sir. Riza stepped out for lunch, so I got stuck bringing you these forms. Just so you know, the form reducing General Hakuro's power in his area is all set to go, just needs to be signed. Apparently there are rumors of him keeping a village hostage by restricting their water access, along with trying to force them into being an unwilling army so he can eventually take over your leadership."

After lowering his pen and rotating his wrists, Mustang motioned for Havoc to put the papers down. "Glad that paperwork is here, never did like that man; and thank Hughes for finding those rumors for me." He reached out and read the document before putting his signature on the paper. "Exactly as ordered, reducing his power in the region and giving it to Armstrong. Is there any other urgent business Havoc?"

"No Sir, and just between us, thank you for trusting me with Edward's secret. It's good to have the boss back." Roy smiled and nodded. "Yes it is, dismissed Havoc." He saluted and walked out of the office, stopping suddenly in the middle of the corridor.

Havoc looked down at the form in his hand as his eyes turned hollow. He ran his hand along it and removed a tiny slip of paper, revealing the truth of the document. The document ordered an increase of Hakuro's influence, not a decrease as previously stated.

His eyes left the document, returning to their vivid shade of blue. "What an odd time to have a blackout, I should really get that checked out," he stated while fiddling with his ever present cigarette. "Oh well, now to deliver this document." He walked off; unknowingly bringing the disaster on the horizon closer with each step he took.

-.-

As dusk approached, Edward left his room to find Lysander looking through his desk. "What are you doing, and where is Splendora?" Lysander bolted away from the desk, back pressed against the wall. "Just looking for the form that needed to be filled out to deal with the renegade clans in the East, it isn't where I last remember it being." Edward raised an eyebrow while pointing to the file-cabinet to his right. "It's in there, second drawer, third folder; are you alright Lysander? You've been acting different lately." "Of course my lord, Splendora should be back in a while, she had to go check on the psychics, something odd is happening with the humans around there. Now if you will excuse me, I have rounds to do." He bowed and ran out of the room before Edward could respond. "Hmm, something strange is going on here, I should keep a closer eye on him, maybe an ear also." Edward sat down to finish his paperwork about the incident the day before, arm spasming with the memory, unaware of the battle that was brewing in the West.

-.-

"H, have you accomplished your part of the plan?" The cloaked figure kneeled, lifting his head to reveal hollow blue eyes. "Yes Sire, General Hakuro should be finding out know about his increase in power, and knowing the man, he will waste no time in making demands in exchange for the safety of the town, at the very least. Mustang will have no choice but to negotiate with him. After this, the rest of the plan should flow smoothly, resulting in Mustang receiving a warning mark." "Excellent, after I am ruler, you will be remembered for how you helped me. A few days after he gets his second warning mark, bring me this Hawkeye; I will make sure she's yours." H bowed before leaving the darkened room, only thinking of 'his' Hawkeye, and how they would be together soon.

-.-

Splendora was still missing when Lysander returned from his rounds. "I'm getting concerned about Splendora; take care of business here Lysander. If something truly is up with the humans and psychics in the West, Führer Mustang should know." Edward grabbed his jacket and left the office, intent on finding Splendora one way or another before the night was through.

A few hours later, the light of the full moon found Edward on Mustang's doorstep, waiting on the door to open as he had finished knocking. As he waited, he glanced up toward the moon, content to bask in its silvery glow.

"Whether it's sunlight or moon, you have always outshined both." Edward turned to look at the man in the doorway, knowing that if could blush, he would have been doing so. "Mustang, you always had a way with words. It's good to see that that hasn't changed over the years. Can I come in?"

"Of course you can, you never need to ask, or to knock." He moved out of the way to allow Edward to pass and shut the door behind him. "What can I do for you? Nothing bad happened I hope." Edward sat down on the couch and propped his feet up on the end table. "Nothing that I know of, Splendora has been gone most of the day; apparently there is something going on in the West. Do you have any idea what it might be?" Roy leaned back against the door frame, a slight frown on his face with his arms crossed. "Get your feet off that, it's not a foot rest. As for what could possibly be happening in the west, I reduced Hakuro's power this afternoon, so he might be throwing a minor fit. Even if he is, I don't see how anything bad can come of that, I'm sure Splendora will be around soon."

Edward sighed and nodded his head. "You're right; I'm just a little agitated. Lysander is acting weird and Splendora has never vanished like this without telling me where she is going. I should get going, sorry to bother you." He lowered his feet to the floor and started to stand up; Roy laid his hand over Edward's on top of the arm of the couch. "You don't have to go, let's just sit here and talk." Edward lowered himself back to the couch and closed his eyes. "It would be good to relax for a bit; between trying to get rid of all the fighting between the different clans, and regular patrols, I hardly have any time for myself."

"Hmm, I know exactly how you feel; between keeping this country running smooth and trying to keep the peace between the other countries; I feel like I work about twenty hours a day and a good nineteen of that is spent signing paperwork."

Ed nodded in agreement before stretching and getting up to walk over to the bar a pulling out a glass and a bottle of Scotch. "I'm glad you finally made it to Führer you know. You will do a lot of good for this country." He sat back down on the couch and sipped his drink. "Gate it feels good to just relax with friends. I don't remember the last time I had the chance to relax like this."

"I know what you mean, our jobs give us such short time to ourselves, and to be around each other; but then again, your used to short things aren't you?" Edward twitched in reaction to Roy's comment. "I'm just going to ignore that, and pretend that _wasn't_ a short joke." Roy smirked and leaned back in his chair. "Of course it wasn't. If I wanted to call you short I'd say something like "You're lucky I opened my door because I couldn't see anyone through the peephole"."

Edward exploded off the couch and grabbed the front of Roy's shirt. "Who are you calling so small that he could use an ant as a chair and still not reach the ground?" Roy started laughing and Edward frowned. "What the hell's so funny, Bastard?" Roy calmed down enough to speak, but could not prevent the smile from remaining on his face. "Take a look at your position Ed, and tell me this doesn't bring back old times."

Edward scowled and lowered his head till he was looking at his metal hand clutching the front of Roy's shirt. "I haven't gotten this angry at you since I was a kid… Thanks Roy. I needed to blow off some steam." Edward raised his eyes to meet Roy's, eyes darkened with a well known emotion. "But you know, there is a different way I know of that we can blow off some steam."

Edward pulled on Roy's shirt, thus bring him closer. He slowly lowered his eyes and leaned in, closing his eyes right after Roy closed his. Roy felt Edwards's breath on his lips, and felt his own heart speed up in response.

"My Lord, Führer Mustang, you both need to come quick… General Hakuro has gone mad….Eek, oops; Sorry My Lord!" Splendora burst in the room shouting only to stop short at the scene in front of her. "Damn, we'll finish this later," Edward growled and released Roy's shirt, slowly backing away before turning to glare at Splendora. "Where have you been Splendora, and what's going on with General Hakuro?"

"Um, oh yea!" Splendora shook her head and quickly to get the image of her boss and the Führer about to kiss out of her head. "General Hakuro is rounding up the town's citizens and trying to force them into his own personal army so he can try to overthrow Führer Mustang. Apparently this started about four hours ago and hasn't stopped since. I got word from one of the stronger psychics this morning that something horrible was going to happen so I snuck in and only just got away. He's outright killing the ones that refuse and making examples of them. Both of you need to hurry and stop him."

Roy bolted off the couch and grabbed his jacket by the front door before following the two vampires out the front door. "Damn, here I had hoped he wouldn't do anything drastic when I took away his power, get in the car you two; you may be able to run the entire way but this mortal can't." As Splendora slid into the back seat, she shot the Mustang an odd look. "Decreased… his power has been increased; that's his justification for this." Mustang shook his head, unbelieving what he was hearing. "I signed the paper myself this morning; it was to decrease his power."

As Roy sped off to General Hakuro's command, his thoughts ran in circles trying to figure out how his own written orders ended up twisted into the mess that currently happening not even ten minutes ahead of them.

The car screeched to a halt in the center of town, a few bodies lay blocking the road. "Damn, this is worse than I thought. Come on Ed, Splendora, this is the farthest the car goes; there's no way I'm disrespecting the dead any more than they already have been." Mustang climbed out of the car and started running, following the trail of motionless bodies, intent on finding their killer. "Splendora, where was Hakuro when you left?"

"Center of town; he was standing on a makeshift stage proclaiming his right to rule Amestris, and that everyone was either with him or against him. When the first person proclaimed that they were loyal to you, he was killed on the spot, after that Hakuro claimed that anyone still denying his right to rule would also be killed." As they approached the center of town, they heard guns being fired as the head of Hakuro came into view. Mustang skidded to a stop, holding out a hand to signal Edward and Splendora to stop. "Listen you two, for right now I need you both to stay on the sidelines. Ed is a little too recognizable and this is apparently my mistake, and I need to correct it." They watched as Mustang walked into the center of town with his right hand raised into his trademark attack position. "You know what you need to do, correct My Lord?" Edward sighed as nodded his head, frowning as a pain looked crossed his face.

" Yes Splendora I do, and it's one of the things I always wished I would never have to do."

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Thanks for reading this so far. Please review, I like reviews :D

~Silver~


	10. Chapter 10

Hey all, sorry for the delay. Between this and the fact the start of the chapter didn't want to be written, it took a while. But here it is. I will try to get the next part out soon, but with the holidays, it might not be until after the first of the year. I want to thank all of you who have kept up with this story so far, and I brought you all some of your wishes. Not all of them yet, but some of them. I made HappiestUnderCoulds very happy with part of this, and I hope you all will be too.

Anyway, I do not own FMA, and never will, have fun reading the story.

* * *

Roy snapped his fingers and a ring of fire surrounded Hakuro, causing him to jump slightly and pull a few startled gasps out of the crowd. Shadows from the flames danced across the buildings, making it seem like the whole town was on fire.

"Well Well, Führer Mustang, did you come here to abdicate in front of all these witnesses and proclaim me the rightful Führer?"

Several townspeople were muttering at the stupidity of the general, along with slowly backing away from flames as they were growing in size.

Roy's face twisted into an angry snarl before it vanished and his poker face appeared. He snapped his fingers again and the flames vanished, causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Like I'd ever give my position over to you; look at what you have done here, you have killed innocent citizens just because they did not agree with you. Start ruling like that and there would be a civil war within the first day. You are hereby accused of treason and murder; you have ten second in which to give yourself up or face for the consequences."

Hakuro snarled and brought his hand toward his back. "You are a fool Mustang; I should have been named Führer when the old one died. I'll just take my rightful place now." A gun appeared in his hand, followed by the sound of snapping as a fireball that hit the ground and Hakuro clutching his now burnt hand to his chest.

"Did you forget that I can use anything combustive as fuel for my alchemy? You're an idiot thrice over."

Roy walked calmly to Hakuro before shoving him around and handcuffing him. Roy looked around until he saw one of the military police officers that was kneeling next to one of the wounded citizens.

"You there, let one of the town doctors help him, take this piece of trash," Roy shoved Hakuro towards the man who caught him before he fell," and place him in the jail until tomorrow morning."

As the military police walked off with a screaming Hakuro, Führer Mustang started recruiting some of the townsfolk to help with cleanup. "Alright, let's get the poor folk into the morgue. After that, I'll be in the inn making plans."

After helping with the cleanup and incinerating the blood, Führer Mustang was found sitting at a desk in the best room of the inn. Papers were scattered haphazardly across the desk and floor, surrounding the desk and chair. A small frown line formed on his forehead as he examined the paper he has signed that morning.

"I could have sworn this stated to decrease, not increase. Havoc even confirmed that that's what it said.

"Roy, are you muttering to yourself again? You know that if you keep that up someone might try to put you in a straight jacket. How could you help Amestris if that happened?" Edward asked as he came in through the window.

Roy swiveled his chair around until he faced Ed. "I finished all the paperwork to set this town straight, and now I'm going over the orders I signed this morning and I can't understand it. When I signed it, it said to decrease Hakuro's power in this area, not increase it; Havoc even confirmed it said to decrease."

Edward frowned and took the paper from Roy's hand and started examining it. His frown only increased as be brought the paper up to his nose and inhaled deeply. He handed the paper back to Roy, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"There was something surrounded the word increase, the traces are barley there anymore. I could hardly see it, but I could smell it. It smells like an adhesive of some sort, like generic tape. I think someone taped the word decrease over increase; they are good enough at document forgery to make it seem authentic as long as someone is just looking at it. You said Havoc confirmed what you said?"

Roy nodded, and frowned even more. He was getting an idea that he did not like in the least. "Yea, brought the paper in for me to sign, confirmed what it said, then took it to processing after I signed it. What are you thinking Ed?"

Edward set on the bed and sighed. "This is going to sound awful, but I think you should be careful around Havoc, he's good enough at detecting forgeries that he should have noticed this. Have you found any other problems with the paperwork here?"

Roy shook his head as he laid the paper down on the desk before returning his gaze to Edwards. "Ed, you need to give me a warning mark for this."

Edward snapped his head up from looking at the papers on the ground, eyes wide with shock and tinted with refusal. "No, this was not your mistake; I refuse to give you a warning mark."

Roy shook his head while standing up and pulling the knife out of his boot and handing it to Edward handle first. "You made me give you a warning mark for the incident with the werewolves and the vampires when that wasn't your fault, so I have the right to say that this needs a warning mark in return."

Edward sighed and stood up. Crossing the narrow space between the bed and the desk, Ed grabbed the handle and Roy's outstretched arm. "I am only doing this because you insisted. I warn you, this is going to hurt. It's like nothing you have ever felt before."

"All that you did was wince and make a face, how terrible can it be?"

"Roy, I've went through automail surgery many times along with having my real limbs ripped from me, the fact that I winced and made a face should tell you how bad the pain actually is."

"Alright, just get it over with."

Edward lowered the knife to where it was slightly pressed into Roy's skin, just enough pressure to leave an indent, not to draw blood. "Alright, brace yourself. Permissum Admonitio Vestigium Videor" Edward announced as he drew the knife across Roy's forearm.

Roy hissed in pain as he dropped to his knees, clenching his eyes and teeth. Blood welled up out of the cut and ran down his forearm onto the floor. The blood that remained in the cut started twisting and transformed into smooth black mark identical to the one that scared Edward's arm. As the blood transformed itself, a few tears escaped Roy's eyes and started running down his cheeks.

"Damn that hurts, you weren't kidding," Roy hissed as he clutched his arm to his chest, "I can see how it would only take one warning mark to keep people on the right track."

Roy's back stiffened slightly as he felt something soft run along one cheek, then the other, erasing the traces of his tears. He finally managed to pry his eyes open slightly when he felt a slight pressure on his lips, only to slam them closed again when he realized Ed was kissing him. He slowly responded to the kiss, moving his lips slowly against Ed's in a firm, but chaste kiss.

Roy pulled back gently, trying not to startle Edward. "Not that I'm complaining, as I thoroughly enjoyed that, but what brought that on now?"

"I was trying to distract you from the pain, plus I wanted to do that for a while now; can I assume it work to some degree?"

Roy just chuckled in response, wincing slightly as his arm started throbbing again. "Yea it did, but you don't need a reason to kiss me, you can do that any time you like."

Edward smiled and pressed his lips against Roy's again, unconsciously pressing Roy's injured arm farther into his chest. He was thoroughly lost in the kiss until his arm twinged again. Roy broke the kiss and looked down at his arm and shirt, noticing that blood was seeping into his shirt, staining it a dark crimson.

"Ed, I need to clean up, I'm getting blood all over the place."

Edward placed a hand on Roy's shoulder to keep him in place and gently grabbed the injured arm with his other hand.

"Would you mind if I…"

"Go right ahead, I told you a while ago that you could take what you needed."

Edward bowed his head and brought Roy's arm up to his mouth, his breath lightly brushing along the skin. Roy turned his head away, not quite ready to accept the fact that Edward drank blood.

Roy slowly opened his eyes as he felt the same smooth motion on his arm beside the newly healed warning mark that he felt on his cheek earlier. Looking down, Roy's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Edward licking the remaining blood off his arm.

"I thought.."

"I know what you thought Roy," Edward interrupted, "but I could never take anything from someone who wasn't truly ready to give it. When you can accept the fact that I drink blood, then I'll consider actively taking some of yours."

Edward stood up and walked towards the window and started climbing out, but paused. "Good night Roy, sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams to you too, Edward."

Edward jumped out the window and vanished into night. Roy stood by the window and sighed. "Sweet dreams Edward. Next time I will not turn away." Roy released the curtains from their tie, effectively closing himself off from the rest of the world. Slipping into the hotel bed, he immediately fell asleep and returned to his nightmare world.

_._._

_Roy found himself running through the darkest, grimiest snow covered alleyways in central in an attempt to escape from the evil that was following him. Shadows danced across the night-darkened walls, the night so quiet that the only sounds that Roy could hear was his own labored breathing and his faltering footsteps. _

"_Roy, why are you running from me? You know it's useless, I always get what I want, and I have the patience to wait as long as it takes." _

_He turned a sharp left and ran down that ally, only to find it was a dead end. The clock chiming midnight brought a sinking feeling to his soul. He knew he wouldn't last much longer out on the cold streets. His gloves had gotten wet when he fell in the gutter a few blocks back and he couldn't summon his alchemy to protect him from this treat. He placed his back against the wall, deciding that he would have his opponent and if he must die, he would go down fighting. _

"_There you are Roy; I told you that you couldn't escape from me. Now just be a good boy and give me what I want." _

"_Edward, why are you doing this? I thought we had something special forming, please don't do this."_

_Roy's eyes were caught in Edward's blood red gaze. He briefly saw Edward raise his human hand and felt it run across his cheek in a caressing motion before he brought himself close enough to where he had pinned Roy between him and the wall. Roy tried to contain a shudder as Edward breathed against his ear._

"_You know you want this Roy. It won't hurt, I'll make sure you enjoy this." _

_Roy heard himself gulp with a slight shake to his head. "No, I don't want it. Why are you doing this?"_

_Edward grabbed Roy's jaw in his automail hand and turned his head to where he was staring in his red eyes again. "I'm doing this as a payment for not looking for me for three years. Don't worry, I won't kill you, if I did that I wouldn't be able to get what I want when I want. Now, relax." _

_At Edward's authoritative command, Roy felt himself relax. He knew Edward had forced him to relax, and was preventing him from fighting back. He couldn't move for the life of hem, not even to jump when he felt Edward exhale against his neck. "That's right, let me have my way." Roy felt a light kiss on his neck before a pinch on his neck. He felt warm liquid run down his chest._

"NO!" Roy shouted as he flung himself into an upright position on his bed and brought his hand to his neck. With his other hand he reached over to turn on the bedside light and discovered that he wasn't bleeding, that he hadn't been bit.

"Damn dreams, I thought I got rid of them when I found out Edward was still alive. He turned the light back off and lay on his side. His last thoughts for the night was of how he needed to have another talk with Edward.

._.

In a rundown warehouse in central, a figure snuck into the inner most offices and prepared for the meeting of a lifetime. Ten minutes later, another figure stood in the entrance to the office, impressed with the meeting area.

"You're lucky I don't kill you where you stand Vampire" hissed the shadow from the corner.

"Like you could, anyway, I have a much more fitting target for a hunter with your skills. Have a seat and we'll talk."

Both figures sat down and removed their cloaks. "So, Hunter, remember that document I had you steel from Lord Edward?"

The hunter nodded. "Of course I do, it was a copy of all three of the times and places off all three of your patrols. What about it?"

"I want you to memorize the young whelps schedule and attack him at your earliest convenience. I need him out of the way, and killing him would make you the most feared hunter in the supernatural world, along with the richest."

The hunter cocked his head to the side, apparently deep in thought. "Alright, I'll help you vampire, I'll kill Edward. Just so we are on even ground, give me your name. You know mine and can betray me at anytime."

"I like being a head of everyone else, but to make things run smoothly in this case, I'll tell you Hunter, but only use it when you absolutely need to get a hold of me. My name is Lysander."

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I wonder how many people saw Lysander as being the bad guy here? I hope you all are excited that I got kissing involved here. Please review and let me know. I like reviews :D

~Silver~


	11. Chapter 11

Hey all, sorry this is late. I made it longer since it took so long to write. I hope you all think this was worth the wait. I lost the motivation to write, then I found a cd entitled Vampires, and that gave me all the motivation I needed to finish this awesome chapter. Once again, I don't own FMA, and beta'ed by HappiestUnderClouds.

* * *

Early the next morning, the hotel-provided alarm clock rang in its shrill tone, proclaiming the time to be 6am.

"Stupid thing, it can't be time to get up yet, I just got back to sleep," Roy muttered to himself.

After dragging himself out of bed and into his uniform, Roy sighed and headed over to the town jail, eye twitching every few minutes in response to the endless throbbing in his marked arm.

He had forgotten how unlike the Central jail these smaller jails could be. Men were screaming and yelling nonsense left and right. Obnoxiously loud noises very early in the morning tended to give Roy migraines, and right now Roy could feel the beginnings of a massive headache pounding in his temples as he walked up to the General's desk.

"General, I trust Hakuro is unharmed and ready for transport?"

Nodding his head, the General handed Roy a set of keys. "He's in the third cell on the right. You might want to be careful though, I think he's losing it."

"By the way, my car is just outside of town can you have one of your men bring it back to Central for me?"

The General nodded his head "Of course Führer, you will have it back by tomorrow."

Roy waved his hand in acknowledgement while muttering to himself and glaring angrily enough to set the brick walls of the jail on fire.

"Come on Hakuro, it's time to go."

"Führer Mustang, glad to see you're still alive; you do know the pink rabbits are out to get you?" Hakuro cackled.

Roy sighed and dragged the prisoner out of his cell. General's right, he is losing his mind. He didn't say a word to Hakuro except to tell him to watch his head as he shoved him into the prison cell on the train bound for Central.

Roy groaned as his muscles relaxed when he sank into the surprisingly comfortable embrace of the military personal train car.

Of course he has to go crazy; life can be so predictable sometimes. The only things that happened within the past month that have been unpredictable involve Edward in some way. Crap, stupid migraine. Roy closed his eyes as he massaged his temples, intent on only keeping them closed for a few minutes in an attempt to lessen his headache. Before he knew it, sleep took him into its clutches and dragged him down into the vast world of peaceful darkness.

-.-

"Hello Brigadier General Hawkeye, how are you?" Alphonse asked with a smile on his face as he walked into the Führer's outer office.

"Good day Alphonse, I think after knowing each other for over ten years you can call me Riza."

"I'll call you Riza when you call me Al. By the way, do you know why Führer Mustang wanted to see me?"

Riza shook her head and frowned. Her mouth moved like she wanted to say something, but then shut firm on the unvoiced thought.

"No Alphonse, I have no idea. Mustang's not here yet, but he should be anytime. You can wait in his office for him if you wish."

Al called his thanks as he entered Mustang's inner office and sat down on one of the black leather couches, intent on waiting until Mustang showed himself.

-.-

Roy felt himself wake up as the training was pulling into Central station. Looking out the window he could see the sun was at its zenith in the sky. As much as he longed to spend the day outside in the warm sun thinking about everything that had happened, he knew that paperwork would not wait on his musings.

Leaving the military train car, he grabbed Hakuro and shoved him the entire way to the prison. After leaving orders with the guards to summon a psychologist, he started back towards his office, determined to finish all of the paperwork concerning Hakuro in two hours, unaware of the visitor waiting for him.

-.-

Mustang walked into his office and headed over to the water cooler for a drink. His arm was starting to hurt badly again and he needed to take a few pain killers before trying to finish all the paperwork that had piled up.

"Welcome back Sir, did you deal with the Hakuro situation personally?" Riza stated as she stood and saluted.

"I did deal with it personally, and before you ask, I will not tell you how I knew before almost the entire base did. I will tell you that he went off the deep end and should be seeing a psychologist once a week starting next week. Also, I need you to keep an eye on Havoc. Report directly back to me if he does anything out of character; you can start when they get back from lunch. Now if you excuse me, I have a lot of paper work to do and a headache to get rid of."

"Sir, you have a-"

"Not now Hawkeye, whatever it is, you can deal with it." Roy closed his office door behind him, not hearing Riza say that Alphonse was in his office.

"Dealing with Hakuro, the animal attack, and an assassination attempt can really drive one to drink." Roy grumbled to himself while leaning against his closed door with his eyes closed.

"All that excitement in the first few weeks of being Führer must mean an interesting reign for you, sir."

Roy snapped his eyes open in surprise before straightening and striding over to his desk. "Alphonse, I didn't know you were coming today, is there anything I can help you out with?"

Alphonse gazed at Roy with a strange look, deciding on exactly how he was going to word his next sentence. "Führer, don't you remember? You had Brigadier General Hawkeye call me and request my presence here at my earliest convenience, she didn't tell me why though."

Roy leaned forward in his chair; frown on his face while tenting his fingers in front of him. The look he gave Al was one of appraisal, of trying to figure out what Al should and shouldn't know about the current situation.

"Before I begin Al, I need to know how much you know about your brother's disappearance."

Al shot forward off the couch and was leaning against the desk before Roy could blink. "You know something about Ed don't you? Tell me!"

"Sit down before you hurt yourself. Tell me what you know first."

Al slowly sat back down on the couch and stayed silent in thought for a few minutes while continuing to glare at Mustang. Roy used this time to examine this grown up Al. He had his blond hair in a ponytail and wore the exact same type of black clothes and red jacket with the Flamel on the back that Edward used to wear.

Al sighed and looked at Mustang. "I was trying to bring him back when he sacrificed himself to get my body back. I haven't seen or heard from him since….wait, you know something don't you?"

Mustang walked around the desk and placed his hands on Alphonse's shoulders in an attempt to calm Alphonse down. Alphonse stood up again, knocking Roy's hands away, a look of anger crossing his face.

"Mustang, you know something, tell me this instant!"

"Al, it's not that easy. This is a very delicate situation."

"How can it be delicate? I've searched three years for him and now you won't tell me anything that can help me find him?"

"Al, be reasonable, I-"

"Reasonable? You want me to be reasonable after I have spent three years searching Amestris from border to border for any sign of my brother, my only remaining blood relation, and the first clue that appears you don't want to tell me? You really are a bastard!" Al felt his fist connect with Roy's cheek, knocking him slightly off balance and causing him to stumble.

Al felt arms trap him from behind and felt a slight breath on his ear.

"Now Al, you know better to hit the Führer, and calling him a bastard is my job." A voice cracked in laughter.

Al's back visibly stiffened before he broke the hold on him and swung himself around to see his 'captor.'

Edward stood there with his arms across his chest, a smile on his face and his eyes dancing with joy.

"Brother!" Al cried and launched himself into Edward's arms.

The red of Alphonse's jacket was the perfect contrast to Edward's midnight blue shirt, which was slowly becoming soaked due to Alphonse's tears of happiness.

"Where have you been these past three years? I've searched everywhere for you!" Alphonse choked out through his tears.

Edward drew Alphonse back to arms length and moved them both to the couch. "It's a long story Al, and it's better if you hear it all so you can protect yourself."

"Before you begin the tale, how did you know to be here Ed?" Mustang questioned as he leaned against his desk.

Edward led his brother back to the couch where they both took a seat. Looking in Roy's eyes he smiled. "I felt I needed to be here, plus our psychic contact in the military told me I would be needed."

Roy nodded with a slight frown on his face as he sat back down in his chair. They have a psychic contact in the military? I needed to find out who it is and how long this has been going on. If I would have known about them earlier I could have found Edward that much sooner.

As Edward began to tell his story, Roy stretched his arms out before grabbing a pen and the next document in the ever-growing pile, signing his name to the paperwork to keep the country running smoothly for another day. His eye twitched a few times due to the throbbing pain still radiating up his arm.

After some time had passed, Edward looked out the window and sighed. "Hey Al, as much as I would love to stay and chat, it's getting close to dusk. How about I walk you back to your hotel tonight?"

Before Al could answer, Roy interrupted "He can stay at my place if he would like, and you can stay with him Edward; I wouldn't dream of separating you two."

"But-" Al began.

"No buts Al, I have plenty of room to house two people for the night, I just need to sign one more form then I'll be ready to go."

Al looked at Roy then back to his brother. "I think I'll stay at Roy's place. Will you stay too, Brother?"

Edward looked up to Roy to see him nod. "Yea Al, I'll be there around dawn. Don't stay up waiting for me; I'll wake you when I get in if you want."

Al nodded with a smile on his face. "I'd like that. There is so much to catch up on. Go on Brother, you have a job to do, I'll see you later."

Edward stood and walked over to the window, and paused for a second before reaching into his pocket and pulling out two small vials and tossed them to Roy. "Here, take these. With the way things have been going lately, I don't trust anyone besides us to stay within the regulations. If you or Al end up being bitten, put the liquid on the wounds immediately."

Roy looked at the vials in his hand then back to Edward. "Dare I ask what this is?"

"It's vampire saliva, it will close almost all wounds, but it's most useful on vampire bites; it closes the wounds and gets rid of any residual pain."

"Thanks, I think…We will talk about this later Edward. Now get to your patrol before one of your followers comes after you."

"Alright Al, Roy, see you soon." With one last look at his brother, Ed jumped out of the window and vanished into the darkness that was slowly taking over Central.

"I'm glad he was able to explain it to you Al; it was his place to tell you." Roy pushed his chair away from the desk and placed the two vials in his pocket. He then closed the window and walked over to the door and grabbed his coat off the hanger. "How about dinner followed up by me answering any other questions you may have about all this? And before you start, call me Roy."

Al stood and followed Roy out of his office while absorbing all of the changes that had taken place in the office since he had last been there. "Sounds good Roy; where is Hawkeye? Doesn't she still leave after you?"

Roy shook his head, eye twitching again. "No, she goes home at the normal quitting time; I leave whenever I have my work done for the day. She has military business to take care of right now, but I assume I'll see her tomorrow."

Al nodded his head in understanding before getting an odd look on his face. "Roy, are you ok? Your eye has been twitching most of the day."

Damn, guess I'll have to tell him about the warning marks now; he's still as observant as he used to be. "I'm fine Al, let's get home and have dinner."

One the walk to Roy's house Al talked about what he had been up to since he had regained his body. He told Roy of his budding relationship with Winry and his search for clues to his brother whereabouts.

-.-

Where the Hell is Havoc going at this time of night? Hawkeye thought as she followed Havoc through the slums of the city.

She was about to call it a night earlier when she saw his front door open.

Dodging overturned trash cans and puddles of liquid best left unnamed, she tried to think of what his odd outfit could mean. It was only when he had reached the rougher section of Central that he had pulled out a black cloak and donned it, essentially vanishing in the shadows except for a lock of dirty blond hair that stuck out the top of the hood. She quickly followed, also blending in with the bleakest shadows in her special-ops uniform.

She watched him enter an abandoned warehouse that had been condemned because of its failing structural integrity. It was set to be demolished within the next month or two, but it seemed like it was still being used for unknown purposes.

Stopping long enough to grab her gun out of its holster, she slowly followed him inside. Using the remaining boxes and fallen material as cover, she soon discovered Havoc talking to someone.

"H, do you know when the master is supposed to be here?"

"No idea, Lamia Venator (1), he should be here soon. He needs to know that I won't be much use for a while. Mustang is getting suspicious, like I knew he would."

_He's helping someone against Mustang? How can he do that, Mustang has always been loyal friend to us? I need to report this to him right away. _

She reholstered her gun and slowly turned around, the fastest way to Mustang's house quickly forming in her head. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt someone grab her from behind and shove her out into the central area with Havoc and the other cloaked figure.

"Looks like we have us a spy, my underlings. What should we do with her?"

"My Lord, this is my lady Riza Hawkeye, please do her no harm."

Hawkeye snapped her head in Havoc's direction and gazed in Havoc's semi-lifeless blue eyes.

"How dare you Havoc, when I get out of here the amount of pain I plan to put you through will have you begging for me to use you as a target!" She yelled as she tried every move she knew to get free of her captor's inhuman strength.

"So this is your precious Hawkeye. As long as you continue being a faithful servant H, I will do her no harm. But since I don't have the ability to make her my underling..."

Hawkeye knew she had to keep her mouth shut in order to protect Roy; there were things she knew about him that could get him killed. She was prepared for the torture to start despite her captor's words when something hit her head and she slipped into the world of darkness.

-.-

Roy stood by the sink doing the dishes from dinner while he informed Al about the check and balance system between the human and supernatural side of Amestris.

"Let's see if I have this straight. If either of you gets out of line in ruling and doesn't heed the warnings of the other, they have the authority and obligation to kill the other in order to keep peace in the country? And those warning marks are what you receive for doing something that could endanger the country in any way, shape or form?"

"Correct Al; also there is this…-"

-.-

One the other side of town, Edward sat on a park bench and growled with frustration. "What is going on tonight? I've had three times the trouble that I usually have on patrols."

Edward relaxed his guard slightly when he entered a neutral section of town and began to think where it would be best to get his next meal as he sat on the bench to wait for Lysander to relieve him of his watch. After thinking for a bit, he had the perfect place in mind and started grinning, revealing his fangs.

He jumped and spun as he heard a branch snap behind him, eyes searching for the cause of the noise. "Shit, Lysander! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me, I'm liable to attack before I realize it's you!"

A sinister laugh rang out of the darkness, followed by a flash of light as Edward dodged to the left, barely missing being caught in the chest with a dagger.

"Guess your reflexes are as good as the rumors say. Too bad you won't live long enough to help anyone."

Hissing and extending his claws into attack position, Edward increased his night vision as his eyes started gaining bright red streaks; shining beacons in the night telling the tale of what he was.

"Stop being a coward and show yourself!"

"Showing your red eyes, claws and fangs to me only cements your fate to die by my hands." A figure emerged from behind a tree, causing Edward to blink in surprise.

"Yes Edward, the poor, foolish weakling that survived a vampire attack three years ago is now one of the most powerful vampire hunters around!"

Edward started circling the hunter, flexing his hands in an attempt not to attack without gaining information first. "Why come after me, I have done nothing to you. Under my rule, vampires have stopped attacking and killing senselessly!"

"It's because you are the vampires' leader and have the ability to influence the Führer. I did warn him to stay away from you, and the fact that there's a bounty on your head only encourages my decision! Time for you to die!" The hunter launched himself at Edward, pulling a dagger and throwing it as Edward dodged.

Edward continued to circle the hunter as he pulled the dagger out of his shoulder, blood running down his arm for a few seconds before it healed to perfect condition. "I must admit, you must be good at hunting vampires if you got me with that one. No human has been able to hurt me in years."

Edward dashed forward and grabbed the hunter before slamming his fangs into the hunter's neck and got a mouthful of blood, only to spit it out.

"Damn you, you rotten coward; why am I not surprised that you would poison your blood?" Internally, Edward's thoughts were much different. How did he know the one thing that acts as a poison to us, much less get it in his blood stream? I need to end this quick and get somewhere safe.

The hunter tried to stab Edward, only to have his blade blocked by Edward's metal arm. The hunter jumped back and missed being kicked by Edward. Edward tried to dodge out of the way of the next dagger throw, but was slowed down enough by the poison that the dagger managed to slide into his skin right under his clavicle. Blood ran down his shoulder as he pulled it out, clearing some of the poison from his system.

"Alright, I was going to let you live until you poisoned me. You have done more damage to me than anyone has before. Now you die!"

Edwards's eyes glowed a deep red color before he vanished from the hunter's sight. Swords and daggers flashed and rang against metal while teeth and claws gleamed in the pale moonlight. Grunts and hisses were heard as weapons and claws drew blood from their target.

Desperate to end the fight before he went unconscious due to blood loss and the last of the poison in his system, Edward sprang up behind him, breaking his neck, only to feel a stabbing pain in his side. He dropped the now lifeless body and looked down at his side only to see another dagger sticking out of his side. When did he manage to do that? Damn, he was an expert at his job. I need to get somewhere safe until I get enough strength back to make it to headquarters.

Edward set off in the direction that he knew would provide him a safe haven until he regained some strength.

-.-

Roy nodded again and sat down at the table with Al and placed a cup of coffee in front of them both. "There's something else you should know, and I don't know how you're going to take it."

Al nodded and Roy started speaking again. "Al, there is something forming between your brother and me. We haven't actively talked about it yet, but we're both attracted to each other. I hope this doesn't bother you?"

Roy saw Al look down and his shoulders started to shake. "Al, are you that upset over it?"

"Upset Roy, why would I be upset?" Al asked in a strained voice.

"Al, I'm sorry that I have to be the one to-"

Before Roy could finish his sentence, Al threw back his head and started laughing.

"Roy, I've seen this coming for years, how could I be upset over this? I'm not mad, I'm happy for you both." Al smiled at Roy, stood up and took both his coffee cup and Roy's over to the sink. "Just treat him right or you will have to deal with me; I'm very protective of family you know."

Roy stood up took Al's hand in a firm handshake. "I wouldn't expect anything different from you, Al."

Al yawned, releasing his hand. "I'm sorry Roy, but it's been a long day, do you mind if I hit the sheets?"

Roy shook his head "Of course not Al, I'll be heading to bed myself after I lock the house. Oh, before I forget, here."

Roy reached into his pocket and pulled out a vile, handing it to Al who placed it in his pocket. "You could have given me this tomorrow."

"If things are getting to where Ed thinks we need this, it's best you have it now."

"Alright, 'night Roy."

"'Night, Al."

Al waved as he headed upstairs, disappearing from view and Roy went to lock the front door, then started heading up the stairs before he heard a loud thump against the door he just locked.

"What the hell? Who could that be at this hour?"

Walking over to the door, he flipped the switch and opened the door only to have a partially conscious Edward fall against the carpet.

"Edward!" Roy kneeled down and put Edward's arm around his shoulder when he realized the vampire was coming to. He led the unstable vampire over to the couch and set him down gently before sitting next to him.

"You shouldn't sit next to me Roy; it's not the safest idea right now."

"What happened to you? You're bleeding! Hold on a minute and let me clean you up."

Roy stood up and walked into the kitchen, missing Ed's protests of not needing help. He came back in with a washcloth and a bowl of water.

"Take off that shirt. I need to get to the wounds to clean them, plus it's ruined anyway."

Edward dragged his shirt off with a hiss of pain as the cloth stuck to partially dried blood on his wounds. Roy dunked the washcloth into the water before ringing it out and started to slowly clean the wounds.

"Roy, you don't have to do this, I'll heal soon and I'll clean up when I get back to headquarters; I just needed somewhere safe to rest for a bit and get the poison out of my system."

"Poison?" Roy's eyebrows vanished under his bangs and the washcloth paused over the wound on Edward's shoulder. "How the hell did you get yourself poisoned and hurt this badly?"

Edward shrugged, wincing and trying not to inhale too deeply. "Same way almost all vampires end up injured this badly; a skilled vampire hunter found me. Apparently I have a bounty on my head, but then again, what's new?"

Roy rinsed the washcloth in the bowl before proceeding to clean the wound on Edward's side. "I hope you killed the fool; he was stupid to attack you, even if you did have a price on your head."

"Don't worry, he's dead. I'll get Splendora to send out someone to clean it up when I get back to headquarters. You don't need to hover over me; I'll be ready to leave in an hour or so." If he doesn't move soon I'm going to lose control; if I try to move away, I'll only end up attacking him.

Edward inhaled slightly, realizing what a mistake it was when he smelled Roy's smoky scent. The scent reminded him of the taste of Roy's blood, and Edward was slowly losing control of his vampire instincts.

Roy washed the cloth clean again before running it over Edward's face, causing him to jump at the contact.

"Hold still Ed, you have blood on your face. I don't think you want Al to come down here and see evidence of how you killed that hunter." Roy sighed as he placed the washrag in the bowl.

"Alright, I've done what I can do; just rest for a bit before you leave." He grabbed the bowl and stood up, only to feel Ed grab the back of his shirt, keeping him from leaving.

"What do you need… oh this is bad… this is very bad. Edward, calm down and think. You don't want to do this."

Edward's eyes were gleaming bright red with a look of hunger as he licked his lips. "You smell divine Roy; it reminds me how sweet your blood tastes."

Roy backed up and avoided looking Edward in the eyes as he was stalked across the room. He jumped when he felt his back hit the wall, knocking a vase off the shelf. Edward grabbed Roy's chin and forced him to make eye contact.

"I will have your blood tonight Roy; you will not call for help, do you understand?"

Roy nodded as he felt his will to fight vanish. Well, I did tell him to feel free to take what he needed. Wish the situation could have been different, but this is the way it is.

Roy saw Ed lean forward before he felt lips and a tongue on his neck, followed by a sharp, short pain. He felt the pull on his neck, the sound of Edward swallowing rung in his ears. A jolt of pleasure ran down his spine, causing him to wrap his arms around Edward to pull him closer.

I need to find a way to stop Edward; I'm starting to get dizzy. He tried to say something only to find that he couldn't speak. Wrapping his hands around Edward's shoulders, he tried to pull him away, but Edward had too strong of a grip to be moved.

"Brother!"

Edward's head shot up as he turned to stare at his brother at the top of the stairs.

"Al…?"

The red faded from his eyes and returned to the fiery gold they were originally. He looked down and saw blood running down Roy's neck and stared into his clouded eyes.

"What have I done? I'm sorry." He vanished from sight and the front door slammed shut.

Al hurried down the steps and over to Roy while pulling the vile of vampire saliva out of his pocket and applied some to the bite marks, instantly stopping the bleeding.

"Roy, are you alright?"

Roy shook his head to clear his fogged thoughts. "I'll be fine Al, nothing a little sleep and some water won't cure. Can you get me to bed and bring me some water?"

Al put one of Roy's arms around his shoulders to help him stand then started up the stairs. "Of course Roy, we can get a hold of Edward and talk about this in the morning."

Alphonse laid Roy down, got him a drink of water then headed back to his room, finally understanding the how dangerous the world Edward lived in actually was.

* * *

(1)Vampire hunter.

I hope you enjoyed this chaper as much as I enjoyed writting it. Plese review and tell me what you all think so far, even if it's just a good job or something.

Till next time,

~Silver~


	12. Chapter 12

Finally finished writing this chapter. Sorry it took a while, Real life got in the way, plus I got a wrote myself into a corner half way through and couldn't figure out how to get out of it. I hope you all enjoy this one. I will say one thing about it, I think my muse went bipolar on me in this one. You'll see what I mean as you read. Totally forgot to say Beta'd by HappiestUnderClouds, Sorry about that. Way to many things on my mind right now apparently.

* * *

Entering his room for the second time that night, Al sighed as he sat on his bed, head in his hands.

"I really didn't understand what he said; I was just excited he was back," he murmured as he flopped back onto the bed and rested his arms over his eyes.

Al could feel the terror he had twice before return stronger than before.

-Flashback-

"_As to where I've been Al, I've been here in Central. I couldn't contact anyone until I had learned how to control what I had become; then after that I had too much to do and not enough time to do it."_

"_What are you talking about Brother? What do you mean by 'what I had become'?"_

_Al became confused when Edward started to smile, then saw his canine teeth lengthen and sharpen to a point. He shifted his gaze from Edward's mouth to his eyes, only to see that the once familiar golden amber color had gained soft red streaks around the edges of the iris. _

"_Brother, how…"_

"_Easy Al, I'm a vampire."_

_Al felt fear rise in him, trying to cut off his ability to speak and breath. His gaze was caught in the red-amber colored gaze and he felt his mind focus on one thought. 'He really is a vampire.' He pushed his terror down, determined to deal with it later, and let the natural Elric curiosity instinct rise up to keep his brother from knowing how afraid he really was._

-End flashback-

Al sighed and rolled over on the bed so he was lying on his right side, hugging his pillow closer to him in the process. "After all those answers from Brother and Roy after that, I thought I had myself convinced that I had nothing to fear; Ed has never hurt anyone who hasn't deserved it before; that we were safe."

Al curled himself into a ball and let the memory of what happened not even half an hour ago flow across his mind's eye; the fear of the creature his brother had become returned to try and once again stop his breath.

-Flashback-

_Crash!_

"_What was that?" _

_Al quietly opened his bedroom door and quietly crept down the hallway. Reaching the top of the steps, he paused to listen for movement below to give a hint of what could possibly be happening. _

_Al could hear nothing from where he was, so he slowly eased down the stairs, drawing on all of his skills to keep silent and not alert anyone of his presence. Halfway down the stairs he saw something he never though he would see. _

_Roy's back was pressed against the wall, his knees in the carpet, arms wrapped around his brother. The soft sound of swallowing reached his ears as he realized that Ed's head was in the crook of Roy's neck and he was drinking blood from Roy. Al was shocked at seeing this, but his mind told him not to interfere; he remembered that Roy told him that he would help Ed with his bloodlust when needed. He was about to turn around when he realized that Roy was trying to pull Ed away from him. _

_Anger boiled in his veins when he realized what had happened. Anger from the fact that Ed had broken his word, and was taking Roy's blood without permission overrode his fear of his brother's vampiric side, forcing him to do something that he hadn't done in years without seriously meaning it. He yelled at his brother._

"_Brother!"_

_Edward's head shot up and he stared at Al. Blood was dripping down the side of his mouth and down his chin. _

"_Al…?"_

_Al saw the red fade from Edward's eyes and return to the fiery gold they were originally. Ed looked down and saw blood running down Roy's neck and stared into his clouded eyes. _

_"What have I done? I'm sorry." Al watched Ed vanish from sight and heard the front door slam shut._

_Al hurried down the steps and over to Roy while pulling the vile of vampire saliva out of his pocket and applied some to the bite marks, instantly stopping the bleeding._

-End flashback-

"I need to talk to Roy tomorrow to find out what exactly happened; I can't believe Brother broke his word for no reason."

-.- Meanwhile on the other side of town -.-

Riza Hawkeye awoke suddenly with a hiss of pain as she grabbed her head. Her headache was so bad that it felt like a whole battalion of troops was marching through her head.

"So the captive is awake. You're lucky H was there to save you, otherwise you would have been my next meal or my new toy."

Riza stood on shaky legs, her back pressed against the cold stone wall. Her eyes met her captors' and she glared defiantly. "I don't know who you work for and I don't care, but I will never talk."

Her captor smirked at her brave behavior. "You have no idea of the world you have entered into involuntarily. You are now in the middle of a plot that goes deeper than anyone has ever imagined. Think on this, and let it be a warning to you. Soon your precious Führer will be killed by one he trusts implicitly, and any attempt to warn him on your part will result in you suffering a fate worse than you can ever imagine. I know you don't believe me," her captor grinned evilly, revealing extended canines and glowing crimson eyes, "but I have ways to ensure you suffer a fate worse than death. Now if you excuse me, I have a few more things to carry out before I can guarantee Mustang's death."

He vanished from her cell as quickly as he appeared as she stared on in shock.

'I must find a way to inform Roy. I can't let him die.'

Riza began to take an inventory of what was available in her cell as well as a self-diagnostic check to see if she had to compensate for any other injuries besides the one's to her head. Her captor had taken her weapons, but that mattered little. She knew that she could use the bed sheet for a weapon, along with anything else she could find. Her father taught her that anything could be a weapon, and she intended to put that to use now. Her self-diagnosis showed that she had no external injuries to her body that needed to be made up for besides the one blow to the head. She sat down on the cot and prepared for an eventual escape with everything she knew and everything she had available.

-.-

"My Lord, what happened to you?" Splendora exclaimed as she ran forward and caught him before he could fall on his face.

"I was attacked and poisoned in the park. Find Lysander and tell him to clean the mess, then I'll need you to go to the storage room below the dungeon and get me the special serum, and please hurry."

After helping Edward to his room, she quickly found Lysander and gave him his task, slightly confused at the small grin developing on his face. Afterward, she hurried through the dungeon, but stopped short as she saw someone in a cell that was supposed to be vacant.

'I didn't think we currently had a female prisoner. I'll come back and check after I get Edward the serum.'

Splendora rushed down the hallway and into the storage room where she quickly found the serum. Returning to Edward, she poured out the recommended dose and handed it to him.

"Thanks Splendora, this will help a lot." He swallowed the serum and laid down to slip into a healing trance.

"Edward, there's a prisoner in the dungeon that I don't believe should be there. What would you like me to do with her?"

Edward opened an eye and looked at her. "You have enough power to take care of it Splendora; also let me know when it's nightfall again, I have my own mess I need to deal with soon."

"Yes My Lord," she bowed with her right hand fisted over her heart. After he drifted off, she left his room and headed towards her own, content to leave things how they were until she got a decent days rest. Looking out the window, she noticed that the rays of the dawning sun were being blocked by the low, dark clouds that hung over Central. She shuddered, hoping that it wasn't an omen for things to come.

-.- Back at the Führer's residence -.-

"Roy, do you think it's wise for you to go into work today?"

"I'll be fine Al. All I need is plenty of water, red meat and green vegetables."

Roy laid aside the morning paper before looking at Al with a sigh. "I need to go into the office today. There are a few things I need to do, plus I need to deal with this situation with your brother. I would like you there while I deal with him, it might help you deal with the fear that you buried when you first learned about your brother."

Al's eyes opened in shock "How did you-"

The right hand corner of Roy's mouth twitched as he tried not to smile. "How did I know? Easy, I freaked at first also. I figured that you buried your fears instead of working through them like I did. Last night dug them up, shook them out and made them multiply didn't it?"

Al lowered his head, shame written across his face. "Yes, that's exactly what happened. How are you not freaking out about what happened last night?"

"Why freak out about it when it was partially my fault? Yes, Ed was wrong to take without asking, but he was injured badly and had suffered major blood loss. His vampiric instincts took over and that was the result. He warned me not to get close to him, but I didn't listen, so I accept the consequences."

"I think I get it, but if he was that bad off why didn't he just go back to their headquarters?"

Roy stood up, grabbed his coat and walked out the door towards Central, Al following close behind.

"Legends say that vampires are beasts in human form. If you look at it this way, it is easy to see that they rely a lot on their primal instincts. When animals are hurt, they will run to the closest, safest place the first chance they get. In this case it was my residence. Also, my scent triggered his bloodlust instinct, so it is both our faults."

Al remained lost in contemplation the rest of the way to Central Command and into Mustang's office, nodding his head in greetings as the rest of the crew, minus Riza, called out their good mornings.

Mustang shut his door behind them and headed to his desk to begin his work for the day. Al hesitated and sat on the couch, unsure of what to do.

"I have a few newly published alchemic research journals if you would like to read while I work. It will be a few hours before I can get Edward here." Roy stated while frowning at a document.

"Thanks, it's always good to keep up with all the new discoveries in alchemic research." Al chuckled as he grabbed the book off of the bookshelf and sat down on the couch again.

A few hours later, after Al had finished reading and making notes about the many topics that were covered in the research journals, Roy stood up and walked over to window and stood in the lone shadow of the tree that sat outside his office.

"I'm going to call Edward now; it might take him a few minutes or a few hours to get here. I still think you should be here while he gets the warning mark, it might help you deal with the changes your brother has been through."

"Ok, you've convinced me, I'll stay."

"Good, now to get Edward's attention." Roy turned towards the window, making sure he was still standing in the shadow of the tree, and that another shadow was connected to the one he was standing in. "Edward, I'd like you to come to my office, you know why." And with that said, he stepped out of the shadow and set back down.

"Would you like some lunch while we wait?"

Al nodded and walked over to the door to request that Havoc grab lunch for himself and Roy while he was at his own lunch.

-.- Meanwhile in Edward's office -.-

Edward had just woken up from his healing trance and had downed a bottle of the preserved emergency blood they had on hand.

"Ugh, that's just nasty. It might be just as nutritious as fresh, but the preservatives are awful," Edward exclaimed while glaring at the bottle.

"That's why its emergency blood Sir. You need to deal with these papers right away," Splendora stated while placing a stack on his desk, "Also, I think you need to deal with the mysterious prisoner in our dungeons."

"I'll go down and see her-" Edward trailed off with a faraway look in his eyes. Shaking his head slightly, he blinked and his eyes returned to the here and now.

"Actually Splendora, what I said before still stands, you can deal with her. Just find out who she is and why she is down there. Lysander might have brought her in and forgotten to let me know; I have been kind of busy lately. I need to see what Roy wants, though I think I know. I'll finish the paper work when I get back, it can help take my mind off the pain. "

"Yes, another warning mark. Be careful not to get the third, sir. If I may, I feel like someone is plotting against you two, the last time both leaders have received this many warning marks in such a short time was when Faragonda the traitor wanted to rid the supernatural side of all human influence."

Edward nodded as he picked his jacket and hat off the coat rack. "I remember, nearly caused a civil war before Führer Longarm discovered what was going on and killed her. I know the traitor here isn't Roy. Keep an eye out and report to me any findings."

Splendora bowed with her right hand fisted over her heart. "Yes sir, you better get going, you have a lot to do today."

As Edward left the building, Splendora headed to the dungeons.

As she walked down the gray stone hallways that led to the unknown prisoner, she thought of all the possible reasons for the random woman to be imprisoned within their headquarters. What she heard though shocked her into hiding, lest the presence in the female prisoner's cell detect her.

"So you _are_ the famous Brigadier General Hawkeye, how nice it is to meet you."

Splendora did not hear the woman speak, but she did hear a sharp crack echo through the mind immediately registered that the male was Lysander and she recoiled from the evil she heard in his words.

"You will look at me when I'm talking to you. There is no escape for you, no one will save you. By the end of the week your beloved Führer will be dead along with my own leader and then I will rule. You will become my puppet just like your precious Havoc."

A sharp intake of breath was followed by cruel, cold laughter.

"Surprised? He has been my puppet for a while now, albeit an unwilling one. He has no memory of what he has done so far and will only remember once the Führer is dead; even then he won't be able to say anything. My mental shields on him will prevent him. The country you have fought so hard to preserve will change; the mortal citizens will become our slaves."

Silence filled the room again as the newly named Hawkeye processed what she had been told.

"Mortal, what do you mean by mortal?"

Laughing echoed in the stone hallway again followed by whispered words that Splendora's ears strained to hear.

"Yes, mortal citizens. For you see, there are supernatural creatures that also inhabit Amestris and I am one of the strongest. All of those stories you thought were meant to frighten children into being home before dark and into being good are all true. There are werewolves and vampires; and I, my dear, am a Vampire!"

A gasp of fear filled the hallway along with the sound of a rapidly beating heart and the smell of fear that permeated the entire dungeon.

"I will leave you alone now to think of your fate and that of everyone you care for."

A loud bang startled Splendora out of her shock and she held her breath as Lysander walked by her, followed by the noise of the door that lead to the main part of headquarters slamming. She let out a breath and with the release of the breath her special power, which she didn't realize she was using, deactivated.

Sitting down seemed the best option as she needed to process all she had learned. By his own mouth Lysander had admitted to treason and possibly attempted murder. All the previous attacks and events suddenly fell into place in her mind. His disappearance before the vampire and werewolf attack, the assassination attempt on Führer Mustang, the nights when Lysander would be missing for hours after his patrol ended, Hakuro's final revolt, and finally the vampire hunter attacking Edward.

"Oh Gate" Splendora whispered, "One of the most trusted advisors, confidant, and friend is a traitor. I need to warn them both"

She slipped out of the cell she was hiding in when a call caused her to freeze in place.

"Who's there? I may not be armed but I can protect myself."

"A friend, I'll help get you out of here."

Splendora stepped in front of Hawkeye's cell and was pinned with a sharp look. "No, leave me here. It will be safer for Roy that way. Just make sure he's safe."

"Ok, but I will come and check on you every so often. Just so you know, not all vampires are evil."

She hurried silently down the hall, missing Hawkeye's shocked expression.

-.- At the same time in Führer Mustangs office-.-

"Alright Roy, let's get this over with."

Roy jumped out of his chair and turned around with his fingers held out in snapping position.

"Shit Edward, trying to give me a heart attack?"

Edward laughed and shook his head. "Not today Roy. Can we get this over with, I need to track down that vampire hunter's hideout and clean it out of all the dangerous materials…why is Al here? He doesn't need to witness this."

"Yes he does, he needs to understand that you will get a punishment for, as he puts it, nearly killing me last night, even though it was both of our faults."

'And it will help him get over his fear of what you have become,' he thought to himself.

Edward sighed and held out his arm, pushing back the sleeve on his customary red jacket. The black mark from before looked newly made and the muscles surrounding it still twitched every so often with the pain remembered.

A gasp filled the room, breaking the silence that had dropped over the inhabitants. "That's your punishment? That minor cut is supposed to bring unimaginable pain?"

"You have no idea Al. Combined with the right words, it's nearly unimaginable. Just watch and you'll see."

Mustang bent and grabbed Ed's arm with one hand and the dagger out of his boot with the other, bringing it to Ed's arm in one smooth movement.

"Brace yourself, and remember, the pain doubles with every mark."

He pressed the dagger into the flesh above the first black mark. "Permissum Admonitio Vestigium Videor." As he spoke the words, he drew the dagger across the skin as quickly as possible.

Blood welled out of the wound and down his arm before splattering on the floor below him.

Al watched in horror as his brother dropped to his knees and a look of suffering passed across his features. As the blood on the wound started to twist and morph into the black warning mark, Al clamped his hand over his mouth.

Finally, as the warning mark healed itself, Ed shakily stood and sat down on the desk, only to find himself with an armful of his little brother.

"I'm so sorry Brother, I'll never doubt you again." Al cried.

Edward patted his back awkwardly. "It's alright Al, can you go and get Roy some coffee; I think he needs it."

Al nodded and left as Roy snapped his fingers to burn the blood off the dagger and the carpet. The smell of burnt fibers hung in the air for a few minutes afterward.

"Ed, I know you are still in pain, but why do you hide it from your brother?" Roy asked while wrapping his arms around Edward.

"I'm still the big brother Roy, Al isn't supposed to worry about me."

Roy kissed his forehead and rested his cheek on top of the sun-kissed hair. "For such a genius, you can be stupid sometimes. He's your brother; he will always worry about you."

Edward sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around Roy for a bit before pushing him away. "He'll be here soon, I can hear his footsteps. I'll try to be by tonight to see him, but I need to get going. You both need to watch your backs now, take care."

With that, he walked over to the window and jumped out, vanishing as soon as he landed.

A few seconds later Al walked in the office followed closely by General Hughes, who had a huge smile on his face.

"Roy, you would not believe what Elicia did the other day, it was just so adorable. I took pictures so I everyone could see how cute it was!"

"Maes, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Al backed away slowly as Maes pulled a recently bought photo album and shoved it into Roy's face. "Just look. Isn't she the cutest thing you have ever seen?"

'I saw cuter a few minutes ago,' he thought to himself. "Of course she is, now I suggest if you want to keep that photo album and your hand, you better put it away." Roy said firmly, but with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Of course, anyway, I have something I need to tell you Roy." Maes took off his glasses to clean them and glanced at Al out of the corner of his eye. Putting his glasses back he spoke, all humor gone from his voice.

"Normally I would ask you to leave Al, but I feel this involved you in some way. You are in danger Roy. Trust no one but us two, Splendora and Edward."

Roy reeled back in shock the same time Al did. "How the Hell do you know about Splendora and Edward?"

Maes looked at Al first before looking Roy in the eye. "I have known about Splendora for a long time and have learned of Edward recently. As to how, well, I am the head psychic contact in the military."

Al looked to be in shock but Roy had quickly processed what his friend had said and found his anger boiling and his eyes had hardened into the pieces of coal they were said to resemble.

"Hughes, if I find out you knew where Edward was the entire time I was looking for him and worried about him, a few burnt photo albums will be the least of your problems."

"Roy calm down, I've known Splendora for years and I knew that the leader of the Dark Side had changed, but I only found out Edward was the new leader the other day."

Sighing as Roy calmed down, Maes continued like his life hadn't just been threatened. "Anyway, there is a small group out to get rid of both you and Edward so they can take over control of both sides of Amestris."

Al, unnoticed, had sat on the couch, taking everything in and trying to figure out a way to find out who could possibly be in such a group.

Before Roy could ask his best friend anything else, a figured slipped quietly in through the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Führer Mustang, but I have some grave information for you."

Roy turned his head towards the door before he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "What's the matter Splendora? And how did you get in here unnoticed?"

She bowed with her right hand over her chest before she began speaking. "My special power is one of self-defense. I can make it so people's eyes pass right over me. Your subordinate, Lady Hawkeye, has been taken prisoner by Lysander with the help of an unwilling spy amongst your men."

"An unwilling spy amongst my men, now I know what you meant Hughes; alright, I'll deal with this now."

As Roy was walking over to the door, it opened again and Havoc walked in the room, papers in hand.

"Is there a sign on my door that says enter when you please?"

Havoc shook his head. "No Sir, just here to drop off your-"

His eyes landed on Splendora, his lips moved as though he was trying to speak, but no words came out.

"Havoc, are you ok?" Roy walked over to his comrade and put his hand on Havoc's shoulder.

The papers fell to the floor as he dropped to his knees, head in his hands. A screamed ripped from his throat, piercing the relative silence of the office.

Oh I'm evil. Please read and review and tell me what you think.

The words that give the warning mark are latin for Let the Warning Mark appear.

~Silver~


	13. Chapter 13

Hey all, thanks for sticking with this. I really love all of you for all your wonderful reviews. I have already started chapter 14, and its going to be a doozy. If it all works out the way I think it will, there will be one more chapter plus an epliogue. So this story will be coming to a close soon, but not to worry, I have another story planned out. Happiest can't wait for that one to get started... Anyway, enough rambling from me. I don't own FMA and never will. Beta read by HappiestUnderClouds... she's awesome. You all should read her FMA fics, they are good!

This story is dedicated to Afrieal. I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when I read her review, so I felt I had to do something special for them... hope this chapter doesn't make you scream and get your writting partner running in with a sword... or do I... that just means you like the story.. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this :D

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"Havoc, what's wrong?" Roy knelt in front of Havoc, eyes roving over his fallen companion, trying to see if he could spot any noticeable injuries that would cause the gut wrenching scream that sounded almost inhuman.

"It hurts sir, make it stop!" Havoc cried out as he gripped his hair tighter in his hands.

Splendora crouched in front of Havoc and stared into his eyes, her eyes turning red in the process.

"I see the problem. Someone placed a mental barrier around his mind to control him, and now he's fighting it and it's causing him pain. I can help him Führer, but I need your permission."

"Will it damage him in any way?"

Splendora shook her head, not taking her eyes away from Havoc's, who was whimpering slightly.

"Do it then." Roy sat down on his desk before looking at Splendora again. "So he doesn't have a natural mental barrier?"

Splendora shook her head. "No Sir, someone put this one on him, it's obvious that it was made by someone else… Hughes, have you ever fed anyone energy before?"

Hughes shook his head while keeping an eye on a frowning Roy. "No, but if you lead me through it, I can give you the energy that you need."

She directed him to kneel beside her with both hands on her shoulders. "Now, find your center, open your shields and let me in."

Hughes closed his eyes and concentrated, a frown line on his forehead his only facial expression.

"Oh, I think I see. My arms create a physical connection between us that I can use to send energy to you."

"That's correct, also you need to…"

Mustang tuned out Hughes and Splendora's conversation in favor of thinking of this new development.

'_If that wasn't a natural barrier, why did Edward lie to me? Who would gain the most controlling Havoc? I haven't seen Edward in three years; could he actually be part of the group to get rid of me, and just spreading rumours to get the blame off of himself?'_

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head in an attempt to get himself away from that train of thought.

'_Stop being stupid, he wouldn't try to kill you; someone is out to kill us both…. Though that still doesn't explain why he lied to me about the barrier around Havoc's mind.'_

A sudden gasp pulled Roy from his thoughts and he looked up in time to see Havoc slump forward.

"Havoc!" Roy yelled as he jumped off his desk.

Splendora picked him up and carried him over to the couch; her sable hair covering part of his chest.

"Will he be ok?" Al asked as he helped an exhausted Hughes off the floor.

Splendora nodded as she gently laid Havoc on the couch, collapsing beside it as she did so.

"He'll be fine. He's just mentally exhausted; apparently he has been unconsciously fighting the mind barrier for a while now. From scanning the barrier and the memories surrounding it, I found out who was responsible for it and out to kill both you and Lord Edward."

Roy nodded and looked on with trepidation, hoping that it wasn't Edward.

"From what I saw, and what I heard earlier, the leader of the small group that is out to kill you all is Lysander, Edward's other advisor."

Roy sighed, relieved that it wasn't Edward, but the question still plagued him of why Edward had said it was a natural barrier.

"Also, you need to know that any odd behavior of his is not his fault. That barrier was shielding the fact that he was being over-shadowed, made to do things that he did not want to do, without knowledge he was doing them."

"Will he remember what has happened?"

"Unfortunately, yes, so don't be too hard on him when he wakes up. I can tell that he is extremely loyal to you and Edward, so he will punish himself enough for his part in this."

Roy offered her a hand up and she took it, rising to her feet, stumbling a little bit due to exhaustion.

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, what is this information that you received earlier, and how did you know about Havoc being used against me?"

"Roy, how I know about Havoc and the reason I am here before dusk is because of Lieutenant Hawkeye-"

"Brigadier General," Roy corrected. "She was just promoted."

Splendora nodded, "I'm here because of Brigadier General Hawkeye; she is being held captive in our dungeon, courtesy of Lysander, and she won't let me free her."

Roy nodded along with Hughes.

"She always was a smart one."

Al looked on in confusion; unsure as to why it was a good thing the Brigadier General didn't want to be released.

"Why is it a good thing that Brigadier General Hawkeye refused to escape?"

Surprisingly, it was Hughes that answered him. "If she would have escaped, Lysander would have become suspicious and moved his plan up since she knows too much. This way, he doesn't know that we know that he is the one behind all of the 'bad decisions' and 'accidents' lately."

Al nodded his head. Now that he thought about it, he understood what Hughes was talking about.

One the other side of the room, Havoc began to stir, and not quietly either.

"No! Not again!"

Havoc shot up on the couch, hands clutching his head in pain.

"Jean, what's wrong?"

"Roy...don't let him take me again; I won't help him against you," whispered Havoc, his voice full of pain.

Roy looked at Splendora, who shook her head. "I cannot help him. I've used too much energy as it is."

Turning towards his best friend, he frowned at the negative response his friend gave him.

"Sorry Roy, I'm exhausted myself; I'm surprised I haven't fallen over yet."

Roy and Al looked at each other, then back to Havoc; a look of helplessness crossed both their faces.

"I don't know how to help him; this isn't something a quick snap or manipulation can cure."

A speculative look crossed Al's face as he looked back to Havoc, who was curled into a fetal position on the couch, his arms over his head.

"Al… I know that look, what are you thinking?"

Al looked to Roy then back to Havoc. "I think I know a way to help him; he won't appreciate it though."

"If it helps him, he won't care, do it. If he somehow thinks to question it, it was on my orders."

Al seemed to think about his idea some more before he decided to just go with it. "Well, it's always easier to beg forgiveness than to gain permission."

With his mind made up he crossed the room, grabbed Havoc by the collar of his uniform and crushed their lips together.

Jean straightened in shock before bringing his hand up and laying it on Al's shoulder. A few seconds past before he roughly shoving Al away from him.

"You… you kissed me!"

"Yes, I did," Al smirked as he answered.

"But… you're straight!"

"Yes, I am" Al replied as he ran his fingers over his lips, "but that was one heck of a kiss Jean."

Jean shook his head at the compliment. "As strange as this sounds, thanks for saying that; it's not very often I get complimented on that. One question, why did you kiss me?"

"Got Lysander out of your head, didn't it?"

Jean smiled at Al while everyone else was still gaping in shock at Al's actions. "Yea it did, thanks."

Al shrugged. "You would have helped me out also if our situations were reversed."

Roy coughed, bringing attention back to the situation at hand. "Now that we are done talking about Jean's kissing prowess, how are we going to deal with Lysander?"

"I know where his secret hideout is," Jean grinned.

"Alright, here's what were going to do. I'll go talk to Lord Edward and see what he knows about this."

While Mustang and his group discussed their plan, on the other side of town, Lysander was fuming.

"How the Hell did they know about the barrier I put around the fool's compulsion to help me, much less break it? It should have been undetectable!" Lysander lashed out and threw a lamp against the building wall.

"Ok, think, how can it be possible to know about a mental barrier when it shows no external signs?" Lysander thought to himself as he paced across the empty office in his secret hideout. "Unless he was showing odd quirks that didn't go with his personality, and a psychic was around to witness it…and Splendora was there!"

He slammed his fist on the desk; dust flew up and softly rained down to the floor. "How did she know? I can't risk the plan falling apart now; I'm so close to ruling. Between the information Havoc can tell them and the influence Splendora has with Edward, I'll be ruined in a few hours…unless I can get to Edward first."

An evil smile appeared on his face as a new plan formed in his head. He rushed out of the warehouse and back to headquarters as fast as he could, eager to put his new plan in action.

At the same time, Edward had just sat down in his chair and groaned.

'_Shape-shifters can be just as bad as the other races. What did I ever do that was bad enough to get me the punishment of dealing with everyone else's problems…oh wait; I know the answer to that one.'_

Edward sighed, and settled in to do his paperwork for the day.

"Edward, I've got some horrible news for you!" Lysander exclaimed as he burst through the door.

"What is it now, I just dealt with the shape-shifter issue; I really don't need another crisis today."

Lysander shook his head, his black hair falling in his eyes. "You need to know this, I found out who is after your life."

Edward shot up in his chair, face unreadable. "Really… and how did you find this out?"

"I found a woman wearing a military uniform sneaking around and I took her captive. I just finished questioning her and found out that the person who put the price on your head was the current Führer, Roy Mustang."

Edward shook his head, a frown on his face. "Lysander, I've know Roy for years, he would never be able to put a hit out on me, much less kill me."

"Edward, think about it. It was only after he was nearly killed by the rogue vampire that things started to go downhill. All of this is from his Second-in-command, Riza Hawkeye."

"Hawkeye." Edward sighed the name, as he appeared to accept a fact he did not want to. "She would not lie about something like this. What else did she tell you?"

Inside his head, Lysander was grinning. He couldn't believe that Edward was falling for his lies. On the outside though, he frowned and had concern in his eyes. "She said that he's afraid of what you have become, though he does hide it rather well."

"That would be his military training; he wouldn't allow himself to feel fear past the initial rise. He decides what needs to be done about it then deals with it. I know he was afraid of me at one point. Guess he didn't listen to me after all and called the crazy guy… well, not so crazy as he turned out to be a highly skilled vampire hunter."

Lysander frowned at what Edward said. "My Lord, if he did that, you have to stop him. It sounds like he will try to take more of us out at this rate."

He was laughing internally as Edward started filling in pieces on his own.

"I'm assuming they have a secret hideout, as he would never hatch a plot like this on military grounds… too many ears there."

"Yes Sir, they do… I'm really sorry to tell you this; I know you two were developing something special."

Edward ran his hands over his face, before he slumped back into his chair.

"Alright Lysander, as soon as the moon is up I want you to take me to their hideout. This ends tonight."

"Yes My Lord." Lysander bowed with his right fist over his heart.

"Lysander, I'll deal with Hawkeye and Führer Mustang. I want you to get over to their headquarters and scope it out for me. Look for any hiding places where he might hide extra men."

Lysander bowed again before leaving the room. As he turned his back, an evil grin filled his face and a dark light appeared in his eyes. He knew that he was that much closer to accomplishing his goals.

He turned around and hid behind the open door, peering in the crack that was between the door and the wall.

Edward turned around and dragged the curtain away from the window. Sunlight spilled into the room and reflected off of Edward's eyes. He turned sideways and to gaze at a picture that he had just put on his desk. The picture was an old one of Roy, Edward and Alphonse many years ago, before Al got his body back.

Lysander could barely hold back the laugh that was threatening to emerge as he saw a blood red tear run down Edward's face.

"Yes, it is my job to take care of Hawkeye and Roy….. Mustang…the Führer."

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Please don't kill me for this.. all will become clear next chapter; which is in the process of being written.

Please review :D Also, do you all like getting responses back via the system, or would you rather have them in the story?

Thanks for reading!

~Silver~


	14. Chapter 14

Hey all, turns out there is going to be one more chapter after this, plus an epliogue. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. For some reason, the song that inspired this chapter came from A Very Potter Sequel. The song is not over yet. If you want to listen to the song feel free, but it's not necessary for this chapter, just a bit of random info for all of you

watch?v=CZujzpfDsg8 .

Anywho, standard disclamers apply. And remember readers, things are not always as they appear :D Enjoy, and don't kill me.

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Night fell softly over Central; the usual buzz of activity was quiet for once. The moon had just appeared from behind the clouds and was lighting everything around in mysterious, silver glow. Splendora was hurrying through the streets to the secret entrance to their headquarters; she knew she had to get to Edward and tell him what Lysander was up to before he got to Edward himself.

She slowed down and came to stop just feet from the entrance of their headquarters as a figure appeared and started walking towards her. As it emerged from the shadow of the building, she saw that it was Edward and that he was carrying something limp in his arms. As he came closer, she saw long blond hair covering the person's face, and they were wearing a uniform of the Amestris military. His neck was bent in such an angle that his face was hidden by the shadow of his hair and his blond hair itself.

"Edward? Who is that, and why are you carrying them?"

She was surprised at what she saw when he looked up at her. His checks were stained red with drying tears and his face was a stony mask. His eyes were a dull gold, duller than she had ever seen before.

"Splendora, this was Brigadier General Hawkeye. She was part of the plot to kill me; to allow the Führer a chance to rule without fear of reprisal. I was afraid he was going to change in the three years I was gone, and apparently he did."

A look of horror crossed her face as she looked from the body then back to Edward. "But My Lord-"

"Quiet Splendora! I did what I had to do; what every past ruler has had to do in my position. It doesn't matter that she was once a friend. Now, come Splendora; we have to meet Lysander at their secret hideout."

Edward continued walking, passing Splendora and pulled the body closer to his chest. She followed behind him, shocked at what Edward just admitted to doing, shocked that he believed Lysander's lies.

Following along behind him she wondered to herself how things had gone so wrong so quickly. The only thing she knew that she could do to try to fix things was to get Lysander to admit his grand plan.

"Splendora," Edward stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, a small fire returning to his eyes. "No matter what happens, remember, things are not always what they appear to be."

With that said, he looked forward again and started walking in the direction of the abandoned warehouses, leaving a stunned Splendora standing there for a few minutes, confusion written across her face.

As the clock struck eleven pm and the moon was halfway to its zenith, Edward and Splendora made it to the warehouse and met Lysander in the large open area in the middle.

"My Lord, what did you do to Brigadier General Hawkeye?" gasped a shocked Lysander.

Edward turned and eyed Lysander, face as blank as stone. "I did what I had to do. Now, is there somewhere prominent I can put her so Mustang can see what I do to traitors?"

Lysander pointed to a metal table that was along the wall beside the door; internally his thoughts were racing.

_I can't hear her heartbeat…he killed her, he actually killed someone he considered a friend…I didn't think he had it in him. He's not as weak as I thought he was. It doesn't matter though; I am still the rightful ruler._

Edward walked over to the table and laid Hawkeye down gently before brushing the hair off of her face. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, whispering softly as he pulled away. Splendora was standing close enough to hear what he whispered.

"I'm sorry it came to this Riza, I know you have forgiven me already. You know exactly how hard it can be to do our duty and protect those we hold dear."

Splendora watched as he caressed her hair with his hands again and moved it just enough to where his bite marks were visible. Large purple bruises surrounded each place where his fangs entered her neck; made all the more prominent by the pallor of her skin.

He walked away and started exploring the room while rubbing the tear marks from his face; Splendora approached Hawkeye, sorrow and regret evident in her eyes. She ran her fingers over the marks in her skin that were left by Edward's fangs, still slightly warm to the touch, evidence that she had been alive until recently.

"I'm sorry; if I was only quicker you would still be alive," She whispered, half to herself and half to the woman on the table. "I swear on all that I stand for, Lysander will die for his part in your death."

She felt her eyes burning and knew that she was on the verge of tears for the woman who should not have died. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus, to try to keep the tears from falling. There would be time for tears later after Lysander was taken care of.

While she focused like this, all of her senses were enhanced even more. She could hear Edward and Lysander talking across the room, that Edward would be the one to confront Mustang. She moved her focus around the room, making sure that they were the only ones in the building. She lost her focus when she heard an unexpected sound in the room. Her eyes snapped open and she looked in the direction in which the noise was coming from. Her eyes landed on the table where Hawkeye lay.

Forcing herself to focus again, she extended her senses full force in that direction before she heard it again. _'That sounds like a heartbeat, though it's too slow and too quiet for the normal human heart.'_

She found herself suppressing a smile as she realized Hawkeye was still alive in some way, though she didn't understand what was going on with the woman, unsure if she was turning into a vampire or not. _'I have to find a way to tell Führer Mustang before he sees her and attacks Lord Edward.'_

"Splendora, I need you to check the perimeter for me, make sure that Mustang has no men hidden around the building. Don't hesitate to use your gift if needed."

She turned to look at him as he spoke and she saw an odd gleam in his eye. Unsure what thoughts were going through his mind, she bowed and hurried out of the building, intent on telling Führer Mustang what she knew and suspected.

"My Lord, do you think it is wise to send Splendora out to check the perimeter? With all the recent developments, how do we know we can trust her not to go and warn the Führer that we are waiting for him?"

Edward walked over and stood a few feet in front of and to the side of the metal table before turning around and looked at Lysander. "I've spent the better part of these last few weeks thinking about who I can and can't trust. Tonight will reveal if I'm correct in my assessment."

Just outside the building, Splendora ran in the direction of Central Headquarters, knowing that's where Mustang and his chosen group would be coming from.

She stopped running when she heard them talking quietly to themselves, along with a few dark chuckles.

"Führer, I must warn you, Lord Edward is planning something and I don't know what it means for you."

"I am used to Edward's schemes Splendora, there is nothing he can do that can surprise me, nor can he actually do me harm."

"No, you don't understand," Splendora stated as she shook her head. "For some reason he has decided to believe Lysander's lies, and with this belief, he was convinced that Brigadier General Hawkeye was a part of the plan to get rid of him. He did something to her, I'm not sure what though, but she is currently still alive."

Roy's footsteps halted and an unreadable look crossed his face. "He did something to Hawkeye?"

A gasp came from behind the Führer and Splendora realized that Havoc and Al were with him.

"Is Riza alright?" Havoc asked hopefully.

Splendora shrugged her shoulders with a frown on her face. "I honestly don't know. As far as I can tell, she's currently alive, but beyond that, I don't know what's going on with her."

Al looked from Roy to Splendora, trying to figure out what she meant by that statement. An idea flashed through his head, causing his eyes to narrow as he gazed at her. "What do you mean by that Splendora?"

"Yes Splendora, what did you mean by that?" asked Mustang, his tone dark, as he gazed at his right glove, and straightened out a wrinkle in the fabric.

Suddenly fearful for her immortal life, she swallowed and told them of what she suspected. At the end of the tale she was glad that she had decided to warn Mustang of what was going on; otherwise she might have found herself without a ruler.

Three pairs of eyes were narrowed in anger, though she couldn't tell who the anger was aimed at.

"So you're telling us that it appears that Edward bit her, fed from her, and that she could either be changing into a vampire herself or dying slowly." Roy sighed and dry washed his face. "Alright, I'll deal with this. Havoc, Al, no matter what happens, leave Edward to me. I know you are both upset about this, but this falls under the unwritten pact between the leaders of the two sides of Amestris. Splendora, thanks for the warning, we'll see you in a little bit."

She nodded and ran back to the warehouse, intent on trying to figure out what was really going on with Riza Hawkeye.

"Roy, do you really think Ed could have killed her?" Al asked, questioning if his brother was really capable of something so cruel.

"Al, you must understand that Edward would do anything to protect those he holds dear and do his duty, in his own way of course. He did kill the previous Führer, but I don't think he could kill any of his friends. If he felt the only way around that was to turn her into a vampire also, then yes, he would do that. It's what I would have done if our situations were reversed."

After that the three fell silent as they continued on their way to the meeting that would bring all the mysteries to light.

Back in the warehouse, Splendora entered the room to find Edward standing near Hawkeye while Lysander was looking through a desk on the other side of the room. Slightly confused at what he was doing, she decided to ignore him for now and headed over to Edward.

"No human life forms around the building, but Führer Mustang should be here soon."

Edward nodded and zoned out as the shadows started speaking to him again. "Splendora, no matter what happens, leave Mustang to me, but make sure no one else interferes." He peered out of the corner of his eye at Lysander, hoping that Splendora would get the hint.

She nodded and started walking over to the desk that Lysander was looking through when the door flew open and Mustang, Havoc and Al all entered the building. Mustang looked around the room, eyes coming to a rest on Edward.

"Edward."

"Führer."

The two eyed each other, sizing each other up, marking potential weaknesses should things take a turn for the worse.

"Edward, I came here to tell you that someone close to you is out to kill both of us; and they will use the darkest of tricks and manipulations to do so."

Edward looked him up and down before smirking darkly. "I know how to realize when people are trying to manipulate me Mustang, you yourself did it for years; I learned from the best."

Roy's face remained unreadable as he listened to what Edward said, hoping to hear a hint in his voice of what he really thought; but his voice was as even as Roy's own, showing that he truly did take after him.

"If you have learned how to recognize when people are trying to manipulate you, then you should realize that Lysander has been doing exactly that for a long time now. He is the one that put the price on both of our heads; he wants to rule and to do that he needs to take us both out."

Roy's gaze left Edward and traveled a bit to the right to land on Riza's motionless form. Anger filled his eyes as he gazed upon his comrade, eyes automatically traveling to the bite marks on her neck.

"Edward. What did you do?" Roy gritted out through clenched teeth as his hands formed a fist in an attempt to keep from snapping.

His anger faded as he saw sadness in Edward's eyes as he turned his gaze to Riza.

"I did what I had to do, something you should be familiar with. I had to sacrifice Riza the same way you did Maria Ross all those years go."

Roy's eyes widened in shock along with Havoc and Al's before returning to look at Edward, stone mask in place once again.

Havoc started to walk over to where Riza lay when a sharp halt from Edward stopped him. He turned his gaze towards Edward; prepare to protest that he didn't have to listen to Edward when he was trapped in the vampires red gaze.

"I wouldn't go over there Havoc; I don't have full control yet."

"Full control; what do you mean by that Ed?"

"I needed a way to find out the truth of what was going on and I found a full proof way to tell who I should trust. I remembered-"

"My Lord, I'm sorry to interrupt but are you really going to listen to him over me when I have been nothing but faithful to you over these past few years?" Lysander asked as he laid his hand on Edward's shoulder.

Shrugging it off, he walked over to Riza and ran his hand over her forehead and down her neck, making sure to touch his bite marks. "We shall see. Arise, my pet."

Riza's eyes popped open and she moved to get off of the table, red eyes roving the building and focusing as she saw Edward. She kneeled down in front of him, hands folded on her raised leg, head bent in submission. "Yes my lord, how may I serve you?"

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Please review :D. I'll give a cookie to anyone who thinks they know what is going on with Riza. The next chapter is in the works, and should be out in a week or two. Please, no flaming. All flames will be given to Roy to play with, the pyro that he is.

~Silver


	15. Chapter 15

Wow totally updated without writing anything in here. Thanks again to Happiest for beta'ing for me and everyone for reading this and the reviewers for reviewing. All the reviews kept me writing quickly. There is an epliogue after this where everything will be answered... I know I said it was supposed to be in this chapter, but it works out better with it in the epliogue.

Once again, I don't own, I only borrow for a time. :D

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"Full control; what do you mean by that Ed?"

"I needed a way to find out the truth of what was going on and I found a foolproof way to tell who I should trust. I remembered-"

"My Lord, I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you really going to listen to him over me when I have been nothing but faithful to you over these past few years?" Lysander asked as he laid his hand on Edward's shoulder.

Shrugging it off, he walked over to Riza and ran his hand over her forehead and down her neck, making sure to touch his bite marks. "We shall see. Arise, my pet."

Riza's eyes popped open and she moved to get off of the table, red eyes roving the building and focusing as she saw Edward. She kneeled down in front of him, hands folded on her raised leg, head bent in submission. "Yes, My Lord, how may I serve you?"

He smiled at her and the red drained from his eyes until only the golden color was left. "Good, fully under my control. Now, you have heard the conversation up until this point, correct?"

"Correct,My Lord."

He reached down and gently took her arm, helping her up and turning her so she faced Roy, Al and Havoc, all of whom were in shock at how docile she was being.

"Like most vampires, she also has an innate power; just like shadows talk to me, my dear pet Riza can tell if someone is lying. You heard Führer Mustang's tale, is he telling the truth or lying?"

"Truth, I could detect no falsehood."

From the corner of his eye, Edward saw Lysander start to fidget where he stood.

"Lord Edward, that won't work; if he truly believes what he is saying, she will find it to be the truth even if it's not. I would not kill you; I have been on your side since you joined our world!" Lysander interrupted again, anxiety apparent in his stance and a slight fear in his eyes.

Edward turned to face him, along with Riza. She looked him in the eyes and proceeded to try to stare him down.

"She has pronounced what he said as the truth, which means that he isn't trying to kill me. If you are telling the truth also, then you aren't trying to kill us. Do you have an idea who has plotted to kill the both of us?"

"I don't know," Lysander nearly yelled out in frustration."Besides, why are you trusting the gift of a newly made vampire? You know how unreliable they can be."

Riza looked Lysander in the eyes and smiled, showing a pair of fangs in the process. "I had this ability as a human also, just not as developed as it is now. And, once again, you lie to our Lord Edward. Why do you continue to lie when no one believes you?"

Roy, Al and Havoc faces were a mixture of confusion at the verbal sparring that was going on between the two vampires, and sadness that Riza was now a part of this supernatural world.

Lysander's jaw dropped in shock at what the woman said, finally realizing that no one would come to his defense. A strange look passed over his face before he looked down, head bent as in submission.

"Now Lysander, why don't you tell us exactly what all you have done in the process to get rid of Roy and myself," Edward said as he started stepping closer to Lysander, only to be held back by Splendora, who was suddenly by his side.

The sound of Lysander's evil sounding laughter started ringing through the warehouse as he raised his head and revealed that his eyes had gone blood red, hatred evident in their burning depths.

"Ed, what's going on, it's starting to feel funny in here." Al asked, still standing behind Mustang.

"Splendora, take Riza and guard Roy and them. He's gathering all of his powers. No matter what, stay out of this."

Edward's eyes turned blood red as he gathered his own powers. The shadows started to surround him as they covered his arms and torso. His nails lengthened into the claws Roy had seen before, and his fangs emerged, glinting from the light in the room. He continued to glare at Lysander even as he gave orders to the others.

"Roy, when I tell you to snap, you snap. Got it?"

"Got it," confirmed Roy as he made sure his glove was wrinkle free, never taking his gaze off of Lysander.

Lysander flexed his hands at his sides, sharp claws emerged from his fingers and fangs emerged from his mouth. "So the freak of a vampire has found out the truth. I should have been the one to rule, not you. You will die as well as your precious Führer," Lysander sneered, content to wait for Edward to make this first move.

Edward shook his head, blond hair moving from side to side. "That is exactly why I was chosen, you have always let anger and hatred rule your heart, you could never make the decisions that needed to be made with a clear head. You let your anger blind you to the fact that every one of your moves led me straight to you as the one behind this plot!"

"You lie, I hid everything; there was no way you could have known it was me!" Lysander denied in a rage, arms cutting across the space in front of him.

Edward flexed his hand again and a shadow separated itself from the masses and started circling his flesh hand.

"I knew something was up when you first had Havoc frightened of you when that vampire tried to kill Roy. Jean is a proud military officer; he might have been afraid, but he would never have cowered like that. Plus I knew that barrier around his mind was of your making, I just needed to find out why you would go to the trouble of placing one on him."

"Yes Havoc, my little tool. I was going to kill him after I took over, looks like I have even more to kill after I'm done with you. Enough talk, it's time for you to die!"

Lysander lunged, only to have his hands caught by Edward's. Snarling at each other, Edward kicked out and shoved Lysander away from him before lunging after, slashing down his chest, tearing his shirt and drawing blood.

Lysander grabbed his arm and threw Edward towards the wall, only for Edward to kick off the wall and land softly on the ground. His feet just touched the ground when he was tackled from the side, claws running down his face in the process. He elbowed the figure on top of him and managed to get his knees up to his chest enough to kick the figure off of him and into a wall.

Edward stood up and wiped the blood off his face and smiled dangerously. "Is that all that you have Lysander? Roy hurt me worse during my assessment all those years ago."

The speed between the two picked up to where it was nearly impossible to follow them. Silver flashes and red drops hit the floor every so often. The shadows condensed around them until there was a circle of blackness around the two, grunts of pain were heard every few seconds as a hit landed.

"It looks like he really didn't believe Lysander's lies Roy." Al said, wide narrowed as he tried to see through the curtain of shadows that surrounded the two.

"It seems like it" he replied, eyes also narrowed and his gloved right hand raised in front of him, poised to snap any second. "Though that doesn't explain why it appears that he turned Riza."

Al nodded and looked over to Havoc, whose gaze shifted between the battle and Riza, who had drawn her gun and was holding it at her side.

A sharp crack emerged from the wall of shadows. As everyone looked on, the shadows dispersed and covered Edward's arms again. Lysander was held against the wall with Edward's flesh hand around his neck, claws dug in, and blood running down his exposed chest. Numerous cuts and gouges could be seen covering both their bodies. Edward's automail hand rested on the wall next to Lysander's head.

"I pronounce you guilty of high treason against Vampires and Humans alike; and under the Supernatural Law, I sentence you to die a second death by hands of my choosing. But first, permissum umbra redimio."

Edwards's voice rang clear through the building. The shadows that covered his body flowed off of him and started moving along the floor only to move up Lysander. Dark bands appeared around his arms and legs, holding him to the wall as he struggled to get away. Edward released his grip on Lysander's throat and stood back to admire his work.

"What is this, how can I be physically restrained by shadows?"

Edward chuckled softly, a dark look appearing across his face. "A secret I kept for the right time, that's what's going on. The shadows do more than just talk to me; they obey me."

Lysander chuckled and spat in Edward's face. "You can get rid of me, but there are others out there who will come after you if I die. Have fun always looking over your shoulder."

Silence filled the building; the taunt hung heavy in the air, a whisper of events to come.

Edward growled at the threat and sank his teeth into Lysander's neck.

"That's right, kill me; seal your fate!" Lysander laughed, voice growing weaker and weaker the longer Edward fed from him.

The shadow bonds started dissolving as Lysander's struggles ceased, leaving Edward holding him up as he tore his fangs from Lysander's neck and dropped him where he stood.

As Edward turned around, Havoc stepped back in slight fear of what he saw. Edward's eyes glowed a deep red; blood tracks ran from either side of his mouth and down his chin, his fangs just peeking out from under his upper scratches and gouges on his chest and all over his body started healing before their eyes. With a sudden shuddering breath, his eyes stopped glowing and the red drained away as his claws and fangs disappeared.

As he walked over to stand beside Splendora, he reached up and ran the back of his flesh hand over mouth, grimacing as he pulled away and saw the last reminder of Lysander on his hand.

"Snap, Roy."

Roy brought his fingers together and snapped. The flames shot across the room and settled on Lysander. The fire crackled once before it started consuming the body and ash started appearing.

After a few minutes of the fire burning, all that was left of Lysander was a pile of ash.

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Let the shadows bind-permissum umbra redimio."

Please Read and review. I like reviews. Were in the final stretch.

~Silver~


	16. Chapter 16

Hey All, Silver here

I realize it's been a while since I updated this, but my beta is currently MIA… something is wrong with her computer, I believe it has something to do with the power cord. I'll get the final chapter up as soon as I can, but there are a few things I need to confer with on the story to make sure I don't miss anything.

Sorry for the delay, I hope you all understand.

~Silver~


	17. Chapter 17

Hey all. Here's the chapter you have ll been waiting for, the epilogue. Sad moment. Anyway, once again many thanks to happiest for betaing this for me, and to you all for putting up with the wait. I hope you all enjoy this. I had fun writing it.

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Al started to reach his hand out to his brother, then hesitated and pulled it back. "So, you and Roy are no longer in danger, right Ed?"

"I'm not, but your brother is until he tells me what the Hell is going on and what he did to Riza!" Roy growled and turned towards Edward; a fire burning in his eyes and a look of rage across his face.

"Roy, I suggest you relax before you say something that you will regret later, remember, you were warned that not everything is as it appears," Hawkeye stated as she holstered her gun and started walking over to Roy and stopped a few feet in front of him.

Roy turned his gaze on her. He lost some of his fury as he gazed into her red eyes. "How can you defend him after what he did to you?"

Chuckling, Riza reached up and touched her eyes before putting her hand by her mouth and touched her teeth before showing Roy her hand.

In her hand he saw two red, flimsy pieces of plastic and a set of fangs that look real to the naked eye. "It was all an act Roy, I'm still human."

A confused look passed over Splendora's face before she spoke the question that had been running through her mind all along. "If you're still human, why is your heart beat so soft and slow?"

"Easy, I gave her just enough of my blood to slow her heart beat enough to make Lysander think she was changing, but not enough to change her. It will return to normal in a few hours. I had to find a way to freak out Lysander and Riza offered to help me; we concocted this plan to force his hand."

"Ok Ed," Roy said with less anger in his voice, "what is this evidence that you had against Lysander. Start explaining.

"Well, there have been small past accidents, but this time around it started with the warnings that Roy received to stay away from me. There are only a handful of people who know we exist, much less that I was meeting with the Führer. Since only Splendora and Lysander knew I had planned to meet with him, I knew it had to be one of those two.

"The second clue came with the vampire attacking Roy. There was no way he should have been able to break out of our dungeon, and that's what it seemed he did. Then the incident with Havoc, which I already explained, then there was the vampire hunter attack where Lysander was supposed to be taking over the patrols; and then there was-"

"Alright Ed, we get it. There was plenty of proof against Lysander, but I still have one question. If you knew that the barrier around Havoc's mind was Lysander's doing, why didn't you tell Roy your suspicions or break it yourself?"

"I couldn't, not without absolute proof that Roy wasn't in on it; and in order to do that, I needed an honest reaction in how he dealt with Lysander and myself, and how he reacted to Riza. I couldn't break the barrier myself without him knowing that I knew that he was plotting something. All of his plans were distracting me from ruling, so I needed him to make his move instead of driving him into hiding again."

Roy, Havoc and Al all blinked at Ed's explanation while Ed wiped his hand clean on his pants.

"If I may make a suggestion, since it's rounding on three o'clock in the morning, how about we head home and get some sleep and sort the rest of this out this afternoon?" Havoc asked.

"Good idea Havoc; Ed and Al can stay at my place for the night, and then since it's the weekend, we can all have lunch and figure this out. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me. Splendora, can you go back to headquarters and get all the files together on the higher ranking vampires in the area? We can look those over tomorrow when you bring them over."

Splendora bowed with her right hand over her heart before excusing herself and headed back to headquarters.

"Hey Jean, can you escort me home? I've had a rather trying few days and would like some company."

Havoc grinned and bowed in a regal way before offering his black coat to her. "I would be honored. Maybe a cup of coffee would help also."

Everyone walked out of the warehouse together and headed to the two respected houses.

-.-

Upon reaching Riza's house, Jean opened the door and motioned for Riza to enter first. Walking into the kitchen, she headed towards the coffee pot and turned it on. The only noise to break the silence that blanketed the room was the sound of the coffee pot percolating. Once it was done, she poured the coffee into two cups and sat down across from him after placing one in front of him.

"Riza, I want to apologize for putting you in danger. I could make excuses for what happened, but I won't, there are no excuses. When I thought that Ed had changed you into a vampire, it broke my heart. I know-"

Reaching over, she placed her right hand over top of his folded one and interrupted what he was about to say. "Jean, what happened was not your fault. You were being controlled. We all know that you would never turn against Roy willingly. Stop blaming yourself. Edward never gave up faith in us and Roy; he would never turn any of us against our will. I told him all that Lysander had revealed to me and having him think I was a vampire was the only way to go."

Jean sighed and stood up, taking his coffee cup over to the sink and placing it in there before resting his hands against the edge and leaned forward.

"Riza, you don't understand. I thought you had been taken away from me, and to know that I was the cause would have killed me."

He turned back around to find Riza standing behind him, slightly surprised at how silently she moved. Gazing in her eyes, he saw nothing of pain, accusations or anger, only an emotion that he had never seen in her eyes before.

"Riza, don't shoot me for saying this, but I love you."

Havoc closed his eyes, prepared to hear the firing of a gun at any moment, but they were shocked open when he felt a hand touching his face gently.

"What-"

"Don't you ever shut up," Riza stated before she leaned forward and kissed Jean. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against his chest. Lips mashed and hands roved. Moans were pulled from both as they stumbled their way towards the bedroom and slammed the door behind them.

-.-

At Mustang's house, Al had excused himself and headed up to the room he had previously occupied after making Ed promise that he would still be there when he woke up.

Sitting on the couch, Edward and Roy watched as Al made his way up the stairs. After he disappeared from view, both of them sighed and looked at each other.

"Ed, this is hard for me to say, so please listen. I'm sorry I didn't fully believe that you weren't the one out to kill me. I had all the facts right in front of me, and I knew I had to suspect you until we had positive proof one way or another, but deep down, a part of me knew it wasn't you….That didn't make much sense did it?"

Edward shook his head, smiling all the while. "I know what you meant. I didn't give you a lot of reasons to believe it wasn't me; especially since this all came after I accidently attacked you."

Roy shook his head and opened his mouth, denial on his lips, but the words were stopped by two metal fingers on his lips.

"I know what you are about to say, and I'm still partial responsible. If we do not take responsibility for our actions, we are no better than the evil we try to destroy."

A twitch developed at the corner of Roy's lip, his attempt at not smiling at what Edward had just said. "I never know you were also a philosopher along with an alchemic genius and a vampire."

"Well, had to pick up a hobby since I'm going to live longer than most."

Ed coughed to break the sudden awkward silence and looked away from Roy. "Sorry, shouldn't have said that."

Roy smiled and chuckled a little. "Well Ed, looks like you'll be able to make fun of me being an old man for years to come."

Ed smiled and leaned back against the couch, staring off into space. "I still haven't thanked your for not char broiling me when your first saw me tonight. Thanks you."

"No need to thank me, I've switched to questions first then snapping."

Another silent moment filled the air while Roy and Ed sat there, enjoying the calming presence of the other.

"Well Roy, I think we both ought to be heading to bed. It's been a long night and you don't need to be passing out on your way upstairs."

With a nod, Roy forced himself off the couch and followed Edward upstairs. Roy stopped at his door and grabbed Ed's wrist before he walked too far ahead.

"Ed, instead of you staying with Al tonight, why don't you stay with me?"

Edward turned his head slightly, looking down the hallway at the door to the room where Al was sleeping before looking back at Roy and nodding.

"Roy, do you know what you're asking?"

Nodding his head, he wrapped an arm around Ed's waist and pulled him close. "I do, but are you sure you know?"

Ed didn't answer, instead he reached his arms up and wrapped them around Roy's neck and pulled his head down, lips close but not touching. "I do."

He tilted his head back slightly and their lips touched. A tongue flicked against Edward's lips, teasing the vampire. With a growl, Ed freed one of his hands and brought it down so he could reach behind Roy and opened the door. Pushing them both through, he shut the door behind him and the door shut without a sound, only the clicking of the door locking could be heard in the silent hallway.

A few hours later, Roy opened his eyes and gazed at the blond who was curled up against him. He felt happiness rise in his chest that he had Edward with him again, followed by a piercing stab of sadness due to what Edward had said the night before, implying that he was going to live centuries past everyone else.

Roy stroked Edward's cheek, careful not to pull him out of his trance-like state. "I finally have you back; I'll never let you go again."

Edward moved his head slightly so Roy's hand was pressed more firmly against his cheek. Opening his eyes, he gazed into Roy's obsidian ones and smiled. "Hmm, you won't lose me. Now that I'm back you would have a fight on your hands to get rid of me."

Roy pulled Edward closer to him and laid a chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away and smiling.

"Now, we should get up and get a hold of Jean and Riza and then we can all meet over here."

As Roy walked into the bathroom, Edward called out from the bed, "make sure you cover that new bite, I don't need Al thinking I lost control again."

Roy laughed and shut the door behind him.

A few hours later, Jean and Riza sat around the kitchen table with Splendora, Ed, Roy and Al.

"Here are the files on all the higher ranking and powerful vampires in the area, I also brought all the information we have on Lysander's known contacts."

"Thanks, Splendora"

As Edward and Splendora searched through all the files, Roy and his two team members searched through theirs for any sign of supernatural interference.

"Hey Al, what are you doing over there?"

Looking up from the notebook he was writing in, Al turned it around so Ed could see what he was working on.

"I'm just doodling Alchemy circles, trying to see if there is something that can help."

"Ed, the only sign of supernatural activity that we could find was that 'wolf' attack and Hakuro's slip into insanity. I don't believe you need to worry about the higher ranking officers."

Ed nodded while grabbing a piece of paper and started writing.

"That's good, it limits the number of people I have to kill and cuts down on the cover up you need to do. I've got a list of vampires, shifters and whatnot that I need to check out. It will take at least a few weeks of traveling, but it needs to be done."

Roy nodded and noticed that Havoc and Riza kept glancing between himself, Edward and each other, and then back to Roy.

"Do I have toothpaste or something on my face?"

Riza coughed and pointed to his neck. "You have a hickey."

Al looked up from his list and started snickering. His gaze shifted to look at Havoc and his snicker turned into full blown laughter.

"What's so funny Al?"

"You have a hickey too Havoc!"

Havoc blushed and adjusted the collar on his jacket to hide the bruise on his neck.

"Anyway, when do you plan to leave Edward?" Riza asked as she straightened the pile of papers in front of her.

"I should leave tonight. The sooner I take care of all Lysander's cohorts, the sooner we can all relax."

Al looked at Roy and saw the slight frown on his face. He felt sorry for Roy, just being able to express how he felt about Ed then Ed having to leave him for an unknown amount of time, it had to be heart breaking.

The hours wore on as the five friends sat and discussed minor things not relating to anything military or supernatural. As the sun started setting, Havoc stood up and stretched. Everyone heard a few vertebrae cracking in the process.

"Well Riza, I think we should be going. Thanks for having us over Roy, and you take care of yourself Ed."

"You take care too, I don't want to come back and find out Riza shot you for something stupid," Edward laughed while waving to them from the door way as they left.

"You do realize they just want to go home and-"

"Al, watch your mouth!"

"What Ed, it's not like I haven't heard you say the same thing."

"Haven't you ever heard of the phrase 'do as I say, not as I do'?"

"Of course I have, I just choose not to do as you say."

Roy rolled his eyes and smiled as he listened to the two brothers bicker over something so inconsequential. It truly proved that time, distance and a change in species did not matter in the long run between brothers.

Once they had stopped arguing and Al had made Ed promise to keep in touch during his hunt, Al went to bed to give the two lovers a chance to say goodbye.

"Make sure you come back in one piece; I had to deal with Al when he thought he lost you the first time, I don't want to have to console his devastated heart again."

"Don't worry Roy, I'll come back. I'll be back before you know it. Keep Al occupied for me till then, you know how he worries."

Roy nodded and smiled at Edward. Leaning down, he kissed Ed deeply before pulling away. "I will. Good luck. If you need any help, just call and I'll be there."

Edward nodded and strolled out the door and vanished in the night, never looking back. Roy smiled sadly as he watched out the window for as long as he could until he knew his blond lover was long gone.

"I'll be waiting."

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I hope you all enjoyed this and liked how I set it up for a sequel. I just have to finishing planning and plotting, then I can start on it. I'll continue putting out oneshots and that in the meantime so you all will know I'm still writing.

Please review and tell me what you thought of this. I'll see ya on the flip side

~Silver~


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